Carlin Isles responds to claim he's no longer the fastest player in rugby

After Australia Sevens signed former sprinter Trae Williams recently, the belief was that the USA’s Carlin Isles was about to lose his title as the fastest player in rugby.

The 22-year-old clocked a time of 10.10 in the 100m metres at last year’s Australian Athletics Championships, the fourth fastest time ever recorded by an Australian.

With Isles’ best 100m time believed to be 10.13, many thought that the American would have to relinquish his title. This excludes former Olympian Warren Weir, who represented the Jamaican rugby sevens team. In terms of players on the World Rugby Sevens series, Isles has always been revered as the fastest.

So when former England Sevens captain Rob Vickerman suggested that Williams may be the new fastest player in rugby on Twitter, Isles was quick to respond.

Isles obviously has a lot of confidence in his pace, and while the stats may suggest that Williams has the better time on the track, he may well still hold the edge on grass.

Isles was able to replicate his pace in athletics on the rugby field, which may prove to be a challenge for Williams. However, as someone that played rugby growing up, it may be an easy transition for the Australian.

The only way the rugby world will see who is quicker is when they meet face-to-face next season.