Michael Hooper believes Super Rugby Pacific stars Mark Nawaqanitawase and Corey Toole possess the requisite “X factor” to win the Australian men a sevens medal in Paris.

The Aussie men came fourth in the 2023-24 world series, finishing runners up in the Cape Town and Perth tournaments.

They are yet to win a medal since sevens was introduced at the Olympic Games, beaten in the quarter-finals at both Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo.

Watch every moment, every medal of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 live and free on Channel 9 and 9Now. Plus, every event streaming ad free, live and on demand with 4K on Stan Sport.

John Manenti’s men open their campaign against Samoa on Wednesday (11.30pm kickoff AEST) and the coach has parachuted in some late firepower for the assignment.

NRL-bound winger Nawaqanitawase and Brumbies speedster Toole were both included in the 12 man squad despite playing 15-a-side rugby all season.

Both men have represented Australia in sevens previously, however, and Hooper has seen their impact on the squad first hand.

READ MORE: Watch Paris 2024 on Stan’s world first international channels

READ MORE: Questions over Kerr’s future as Matildas ‘flush out’ looms

READ MORE: Heal shreds Simmons for no Boomers ‘passion or desire’

Wallabies legend Hooper played sevens for Australia this year but injuries hampered his bid for selection in Paris.

He played alongside Nawaqanitawase and Toole against two-time Olympic champions Fiji in trial games before the squad was picked in July.

“In Fiji he (Nawaqanitawase) won back a few clean restarts but him on the edge, when he carries, he was sucking in three defenders every time,” Hooper told Stan Sport’s Between Two Posts.

“As we know with sevens – you’ve got four left on the field now to defend the width. But he also sucks in three and then can get an arm free as well.

“So we all know about his offload game and how good that is. But he is a mountain of a man in a smaller man’s game. And our team, we need speed.

“We’re a fast team, we’re a hold ball, possession team. So you bring in someone like that with genuine X factor, alongside a Toole – if he (Nawaqanitawase) can get the ball free to a Toole, it’s game over, it’s try time.”

Toole is widely considered the fastest man in Australian rugby and one of the quickest in the world.

Given their lack of recent sevens experience, Hooper expected the Super Rugby stars to be used in short spurts.

“I think it’s a call that you’ve got to make on the run and make the right decision late in the game because he (Nawaqanitawase) can break it wide open and that’s the benefit with Toole as well. He’s a similar player to that, he’s been in Super all year.

“So he’s got a Super sort of engine under his belt. They’ve been working hard there.

“How quickly they can turn that into a sevens motor is going to be the question. Do you want to bring on Toole for a couple of minutes and chop and change? It’s going to be a bit of a run and see how we go.”

The Aussie men also play Kenya and world series champions Argentina in Pool B.

“The men’s comp is awesome because there’s genuinely eight teams that can win,” former Australian sevens representative Nick Phipps told Between Two Posts.

“Every game is going to be so good to watch.”

Australia’s women, meanwhile, are gunning for their second Olympic gold when they kick off their campaign against South Africa on Monday (12am kickoff AEST).

It is widely considered a two horse race between them and Tokyo champs New Zealand but hosts France loom as a dark horse in a projected semi-final.

“They’re tricky. And they they play well against our women,” Hooper warned.

“So being around the girls a bit, they (France) have a have a few tricks up their sleeve for the Aussie girls. And they seem to be able to pressure them.

“They shut down Maddi Levi there on the wing really well. They close off, so they try and not allow the ball to get to her wing because, as everyone knows, she gets the ball, it’s likely a try. So they really try and take time and space off her and they’ve done that well.

“So it could be a bit of a speed bump, but you get through that one, then it’s the big show and that’s what you want.”

Organisers are expecting a sold out Stade de France to be heaving with 80,000 fans for the big games.

“That’s where the French will be exponentially better with the crowd,” former Australian sevens rep Morgan Turinui told Between Two Posts.

“But it can go the other way against them. If they don’t start well, if they’ve got a long road back themselves, that hometown support can turn into negative pressure, so it can go both ways. But they’re dangerous, aren’t they?

“You do not want to be coming up against the French in a home semi-final. They are ruthless and brutal, and with a crowd packed out at Stade de France, you will not want to be up against them. The French and the USA, when they play the Australian women, that’s their strategy. Deny possession to Australia by holding the ball.

“Even if it ends up being a 10-7 game or something, you’ll find there’s not a lot of ball in play time and there’s not a lot of possession for the Australian team.”

Australia men’s squad: Nick Malouf (c), Ben Dowling, Matthew Gonzalez, Henry Hutchison, Nathan Lawson, Maurice Longbottom, Mark Nawaqanitawase, Henry Paterson, Dietrich Roache, Hayden Sargeant, Corey Toole, James Turner

Australia women’s squad: Charlotte Caslick (c), Bridget Clark, Dominique du Toit, Tia Hinds, Maddison Levi, Teagan Levi, Isabella Nasser, Faith Nathan, Sariah Paki, Kaitlin Shave, Sharni Smale, Bienne Terita

Michael Hooper will appear as a rugby expert on Stan Sport’s Olympics Daily and Paris Preview shows throughout the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.