ENGLAND MEN SEVENS SQUAD NAMED FOR SYDNEY TOURNAMENT

Jan 31 • General News, IRB World Cup Sevens, Sevens Rugby • 4566 Views • Comments Off on ENGLAND MEN SEVENS SQUAD NAMED FOR SYDNEY TOURNAMENT

Head of England Sevens Simon Amor has made two changes to the England side that will play in the HSBC Sydney Sevens on 2-3 February, broadcast live on Sky Sports.

Newcastle University’s Harry Glover has joined up with the squad after missing out on Hamilton due to university commitments alongside Will Edwards who will make his first World Series appearance of this season after recovering from injury.

Alex Davis and Ollie Lindsay-Hague have returned to the UK after picking up injuries in the fourth leg of the competition last weekend.

Drawn in Pool A, England will play Samoa, Fiji and Japan in the group stage of the competition on day one.

“The margins are so small in sevens and we didn’t get our game going until day two in Hamilton. Our accuracy and team cohesion wasn’t quite there, but I was pleased with our mindset on the second day,” said Amor.

He added: “I was also impressed with the way that our younger talent in this group performed and while we are not quite getting the luck with injuries at the moment, and we’re disappointed for Alex and Ollie, we’re excited to see the impact of having Harry and Will in the side in Sydney this weekend.

“The game is becoming more and more physically demanding, and with a tough and physical pool for this tournament, getting our recovery right has been a key focus to ensure that we’re in the best place possible heading into Sydney.”

This year the Sydney Sevens will be held at the Spotless Stadium with Amor commenting: “It’s always exciting playing at a new stadium and this one is in a particularly inspirational setting at the Olympic Park.

“We know we are going to face a partisan crowd at the weekend, especially with the strong support all our pool opposition will have, but it’s playing in these great atmospheres that are the most memorable – we’re really looking forward to it.”

England Men Sevens squad for Sydney:
Dan Bibby
Tom Bowen
Phil Burgess
Richard de Carpentier
Will Edwards
Harry Glover
Charlton Kerr
Tom Mitchell
Will Muir
Ryan Olowofela
Dan Norton
Ethan Waddleton

13th man: James Rodwell

England’s Pool A fixtures, Saturday 2 February, live on Sky Sports:

England v Samoa, 00:12, Sky Sports Mix
England v Fiji, 06:02, Sky Sports Arena
England v Japan, 09:45, Sky Sports Arena