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Campo returns: Expect the unexpected

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The man with the golden goose step will be back at the Hong Kong Stadium next week. David Campese laughs when his famous hitch-kick, which left countless opponents grasping at thin air, is mentioned. You can almost see his smile as the mobile telephone crackles with static. He is driving through Durban, South Africa.

'Yes, it is indeed golden, I have to dust the cobwebs off it,' says Campese, as he looks forward to renewing his love affair with the world's most famous sevens tournament.

Campo, as he is universally known, won't be playing, though. He will be on the touchline assisting Australian sevens coach Bill Millard, who seemed apprehensive at the idea of having a legend watching over his shoulders.

'I have never met him. I'm not sure about Campo as I have not seen him coach at all,' says Millard. 'But, for sure, he will be a mentor to the guys and hopefully will be able to have some input on our attack.'

In a move which must have caused some consternation among other teams on the IRB Sevens, the Australian Rugby Union (ARU) this month announced they had appointed Wallabies legends Campese and Mark Ella to assistant coaching roles for the next two legs of the series - Hong Kong and Adelaide.

'David and Mark are two of the greatest players this country has produced,' said ARU chief executive John O'Neill. 'The skills they possessed set them apart during their illustrious careers and now they have the chance to impart some of that unique knowledge to the current generation.'

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