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Cape Town - Ed Jenkins has stepped down from the Australian Sevens' captaincy, with playmaker Lewis Holland next in line for the role.
Jenkins had been considering the shift from the beginning of the season, with the end of the Rio Olympic cycle a natural time for him to end his reign.
The 30-year-old had been captain of the side since 2011, becoming Australia's most-capped Sevens player along the way.
"This isn’t something that has come about overnight, Friendy (Australia Sevens head coach Andy Friend) and I had been discussing a transition well before the Olympics," Jenkins told the Australian Rugby Union's official website.
"With a lot of new faces in the squad, we thought the time was right for the team to start looking to the future,” said Jenkins, who is the most capped player in Australian Sevens history."
Holland has been appointed club captain and will captain the side when he returns from an achilles injury that has ended his chances at a 2016/17 season berth.
Friend will rotate the captaincy through the group this season, appointing tournament captains at each competition, with Jenkins still in contention to lead the side at some point.
"Prior to Rio, Ed signed on with the Sevens program until the end of 2018, so he certainly still has a lot to contribute the team in terms of leadership and experience and he will be there to support Lewis and the other guys in the leadership group for at least the next two years," he said.
"Lewis was the obvious choice to lead the team. Not only was he one of our most outstanding players last season, he has also grown tremendously as a leader and has the respect of the group."
Jenkins is committed to the Sevens program until 2018, but he hasn't ruled out playing on beyond that.
The 2016/17 World Sevens Series kicks off on December 2 in Dubai.
