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Wallabies coach Robbie Deans is the latest high-profile rugby figure to back Sevens' proposed entry into the Olympic Games.

Olympic officials debated which sports should gain entry into the 2016 Olympics at a top-level summit in Queenstown last week. The International Rugby Board previously failed in its bid for Sevens to be an official medal sport for the 2012 Games in London.

However, there is still the chance it could be seen in London as a demonstration sport. The IRB is using its Sevens World Series and the recent Rugby World Cup Sevens as tools for its Olympic push in time for the 2016 Games.

And Deans, on hand at the Adelaide Sevens last weekend, said Olympic inclusion would have a far-reaching impact on rugby as a whole.

"It would be a massive injection and you would see the emergence of Sevens rugby as a sport that players really chase," he said.

"Everyone wants the opportunity to win a gold medal and I think you'll see a lot of players, some of whom may not play rugby union now, you'd see the emergence of Sevens formats throughout Australia."

Deans' input was praised by Australian Sevens coach Michael O'Connor on the eve of the Adelaide Sevens. Unlike previous recent Wallabies coaches, it was stated that Deans fully saw the merit in Sevens as a development tool for Australian rugby.

For a long time now Sevens has struggled to assert itself in Australia and, as a result, the country's national side has also struggled to compete on the IRB Sevens World Series but the presence and praise in Adelaide of Wallaby coach Robbie Deans hints at a major change of focus.

Previous coaches Glen Ella and Bill Millard always struggled to retain players for the Grand Prix-style season but, in Deans, current coach Michael O'Connor would seem to have won a significant ally.

After witnessing the benefit of the Sevens programme to New Zealand rugby, Deans said he was determined to offer as much support as he could to O'Connor and his side.

"I'm totally behind it," Deans said.

"You will see players come out of this year's team and become fully-fledged Super 14-contracted players, so they will in effect go from being amateurs straight through into a contract, and what player doesn't aspire to that?

"We want to broaden our base and the more avenues, the more pathways we have to do that; Club, Sevens or Super rugby. We want to give them that opportunity to arrive in their own time.

"The games have everything that's good about rugby; there's skill, it's fast and there's a real physicality there, which is something that's really impressed me.

"I haven't been to a Sevens tournament live in recent times and sides are bringing their own tactical approach to it now, we're seeing some diversity, some kicking come into the game and it's entertaining."

Deans said while the Sevens and 15s games were polls apart, Sevens was a great development ground. Australia's sevens star, 18 year old Luke Morahan, was one of the players watched closely by Super 14 representatives.

He said outside backs were encouraged to show their wares in Sevens, including honing the art of beating an opponent on the outside. Likewise, any defensive frailties were quickly shown up in Sevens.

"The boys have been working hard," Deans said.

"It's really only year one in terms of an emphasis for us but it's an emphasis that we're going to persist with.

"We see Sevens as a critical part of the development of rugby players in terms of exposing them to what's required to be a professional rugby player.

"Sevens is the perfect vehicle to that end. If your disciplines are poor, whether it be your conditioning, skill level, ability to run, to repeat effort or your nutrition, all these things are critical and if you don't have them you get exposed in seven-a-side because you're isolated.

"An opponent will quickly find you out and expose any perceived weakness so it's a great vehicle for players to expose themselves to that sort of intensity playing in front of a big crowd."