Former All Black Barry named Australia's sevens coach

Former All Blacks flanker Liam Barry was Monday named head coach of Australia men's rugby sevens team, looking to build on their fourth place at the Paris Olympics.

The 53-year-old, whose father and grandfather also played for New Zealand, takes over from John Manenti who quit after the Games in August.

"I'm very excited to take the team into the next cycle off the back of what they've done at the Paris Olympics," said Barry.

"I'm not looking to reinvent the wheel but rather build on what is already there.

"The players are fit, fast and skillful and I'm looking forward to working with them."

Barry represented the All Blacks from 1993 to 1995 before finishing his playing career with stints at NEC and Kubota in Japan.

He spent five years as an assistant coach of the All Blacks sevens side and was more recently with High Performance Sport New Zealand.

Australia kicks off its sevens season in Dubai on November 30.