England Sevens name squad for London
Alex Davis and Richard de Carpentier return to the England squad for the final round of the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series at Twickenham Stadium this weekend (20-21 May).
Davis has recovered from a quad injury sustained in Vancouver while de Carpentier missed the last tournament with a knee injury.
England will, however, be without captain Tom Mitchell (fibula) and Tom Bowen (pectoralis) who were injured in Paris last weekend and have been unable to recover to compete in their home event. Phil Burgess will lead the side in the absence of Mitchell.
England won the Cup in Cape Town and Vancouver, finished second in Sydney and third in Dubai and Singapore. Following their fourth-place finish in Paris, they are now second in the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series, three points ahead of Fiji.
England’s narrow semi-final loss to Scotland last weekend meant that South Africa’s lead at the top of the table was great enough for them to be named series winners. Should Simon Amor’s side maintain second place it will be England’s highest finish since 2006.
Will Edwards, Harry Glover and Callum Sirker are set to make their Twickenham debuts with England drawn in pool D along with Spain, Australia and Samoa.
Head Coach Simon Amor said: “The squad are very excited about playing in London this weekend in front of their friends and family. There were some close games on day two in Paris and while it was disappointing to be on the wrong side of the result in the final two games, the effort and desire shown by the guys were excellent. They adapted to the impact that injuries had on the way we wanted to play and the weekend will have been a valuable experience for the young guys especially.
“It is great to have both Alex Davis and Richard de Carpentier back in the squad. It is a credit to the hard work of the management, especially Dan Howells and Tom Farrow our Strength and Conditioning Coaches and the medical team of Gruff Parsons, Emily Ross and Dr Abosede Ajayi for enabling their recovery in time for this week. It has taken a determined effort by the players and all involved for them to return to fitness and it reflects just how much it means to play at Twickenham.
“Knowing how special this tournament, however, makes it deeply disappointing for Tom Bowen and Tom Mitchell to miss out. Bowen was on top form for us in Paris and has had a great season. It’s also very tough for Mitch who has led the team superbly this year. He will, however, continue to be an important influence and support within the group off the field and we are fortunate to have an excellent captain in Phil Burgess to replace him. He led a young side to third place in Singapore and will lead by example to make England proud this weekend.
“The passion that was shown by the French crowd last weekend was great, the players really enjoyed the atmosphere – particularly playing against France – and now we’re looking forward to the England supporters bringing their energy and enthusiasm as it has a massive impact on our squad. The boys love playing in front of a vocal home crowd, it inspires them to give their all for their country and with that, we aim to win our home tournament.
“This season we set ourselves the target of finishing in the top three and now want to ensure we maintain this second-place position. Our congratulations go to South Africa for their outstanding season. To be in eight finals and win five events shows a consistency that has not been achieved by a team before in recent times and they fully deserve to receive the series trophy in London this weekend.”
A limited number of tickets for both Saturday and Sunday are still available via eticketing.co.uk/rfu or can be purchased from the ticket office on the day.
England Sevens squad for London:
Dan Bibby
Phil Burgess ©
Alex Davis
Richard de Carpentier
Will Edwards
Harry Glover
Charlie Hayter
Ollie Lindsay-Hague
Ruaridh McConnochie
Callum Sirker
Dan Norton
James Rodwell
13th man: Will Glover
England’s pool D fixtures:
v Spain (12.04pm)
v Australia (3.10pm)
v Samoa (6.16pm)
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