England Sevens prepares for Series
The series kicks off in Dubai next month (December) and this is the second time the three unions have trained together during a long pre-season which for most players began five months ago.
In the build up to the Olympics the teams face a condensed and increased schedule of 10 tournaments, rather than the nine of previous years. New hosts include Singapore, France and Canada and venue changes occur in Australia and South Africa, with their tournaments moving from the Gold Coast to Sydney and from Port Elizabeth to Cape Town.
"These conditioned sessions with Wales and Scotland have provided the players with valuable game time against very good opposition. Training with them was successful but to do it under the roof at the Millennium Stadium is brilliant preparation for everyone.
"Working together as home unions also brings a Great Britain element. There are lots of good conversations taking place with Gareth Williams [Wales Sevens coach and GB Sevens assistant coach] and Calum MacRae [Scotland Sevens coach] about how we get all our teams absolutely firing for this world series. The more successful the home nations are, the better the place Team GB will be in the summer. It is an exciting time for Sevens," England Sevens head coach, Simon Amor said.
This season has also seen the introduction of academy and development squads to the England Sevens programme, creating a pathway for young players. For some, Sevens will form part of a rugby journey that may lead back to the 15-a-side game, for others this early involvement may be the start of a successful specialist Sevens career.
These young players competed in international invitational tournaments over the summer in Kenya and Singapore and, as they push to earn a place on the World Series, they create an increasingly competitive and challenging environment within the squad.
"In the past, our only option has been to throw players straight into the World Series which is an unforgiving place to learn the trade. Having a group of talented young players who have time to develop through invitational tournaments and increase their game understanding is an excellent step forward.
"Many come from Premiership academies, reflecting the good relationship we have with them. We watch a lot of games and work with the academy managers to find the players that would fit and benefit from this opportunity. We have discovered some really talented players and, having learned from the experience of this first year, the process will no doubt be even more successful in the future.
"We are really pleased with how the young players performed in Kenya and Singapore and the key is to keep them progressing and learning at the same rate. Having a larger squad also creates a better performance environment with healthy competition," he added.
Among this season's new recruits are former Wasps academy players Harry Glover and Oskar Hirskyj-Douglas as well as Gift Sankoh from Leicester Tigers and Ethan Waddleton from Saracens. Jack Wilson also becomes a centrally contracted player, having featured in the Europe Exeter Sevens in June. The 25-year-old, recently with New Zealand provincial side Otago, enjoyed a spell at Saracens in 2012.
"Jack is a big physical wing in XVs and plays well as a quick prop in Sevens. He has great game awareness and performed well in Exeter, having only had a few training sessions with us. It is great to have him involved and to have the chance to condition him. If he can understand his strengths in the Sevens game, and play to them, he will be a real asset for us," Amor stated.
England Sevens squad: Dan Bibby, Tom Bowen, John Brake, Phil Burgess, James Cordy-Redden, Cameron Cowell, Alex Davis, Richard De Carpentier, Sam Egerton, Harry Glover, Alex Gray, Charlie Hayter, Oskar Hirskyj-Douglas, Warwick Lahmert, Ruaridh Mcconnochie, Tom Mitchell, Seb Nagle-Taylor, Dan Norton, James Rodwell, Gift Sankoh, Ethan Waddleton, Josh Watkins, Jack Wilson.
@EnglandRugby
