Taking England Sevens forward
Alex Gray is one of three players returning to the 15-a-side game next season, having had the experience of representing England Sevens.
Junior World Championship U20 captain and finalist in 2011, Gray joined the sevens programme in 2013 and has since won 22 caps on the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series, as well as being named HSBC England Sevens Player of the Season at the RPA awards last summer.
The former No. 8, and now centre, will join Yorkshire Carnegie while Sam Egerton follows former England Sevens player Marcus Watson to Newcastle Falcons and James Cordy-Redden signs for Ealing Trailfinders.
James Rodwell, who set a new world record of 69 consecutive tournaments on the World Series earlier this year, has extended his England Sevens contract along with vice-captain Phil Burgess and influential players Tom Bowen, Alex Davis, Warwick Lahmert and Ruaridh McConnochie.
Head Coach Simon Amor said: “Alex Gray was always a long-term project for us, with the aim of him eventually returning to 15s. He signs for Yorkshire as a centre, in a similar way that Mike Ellery joined the programme as a forward before signing for Saracens as a winger.
“Alex has developed so much as a person and a player in the three years I’ve been fortunate to work with him. He has always had an amazing skill set but the physicality and the professionalism with which he now approaches games is second to none. He will be a big loss to the programme but we are excited by the opportunity he has with Yorkshire Carnegie.
“Sam Egerton joined England Sevens with the ambition of getting a Premiership contract. We are delighted that he was involved with Harlequins for a few months this year and has now signed with Newcastle. He is an excellent scrum half and his game has really progressed, particularly his core passing skills, a fundamental part of sevens.
“Similarly James Cordy-Redden has worked hard within our academy and development group and at the accompanying tournaments. His excellent attitude has allowed a remarkable transformation from student to athlete. It is probably the biggest change we have seen in a player in such a short space of time. He will be a real asset for Ealing.”
On the re-signing of Rodwell, Burgess and other key players, Amor added: “This group, together with the likes of Dan Bibby, Richard de Carpentier, Charlie Hayter, Dan Norton and Tom Mitchell, gives us an exciting and talented core squad for the World Series next season and for years to come.
“James Rodwell reached an incredible milestone this year and brings a wealth of experience. He is critical to us in key areas such as lineouts and kick offs, which helps not only the success of the England Sevens team but also allows him to support the development of the young guys coming through.”
England Sevens introduced an academy programme for the first time in 2015 and, following its success, a rigorous talent identification process was put in place to find the next England Sevens’ talent.
Strong relationships with regional club academies and schools, and extensive viewing of match footage, resulted in 22 players being invited for trials last weekend.
Those who are offered contracts will be aiming to either emulate Cameron Cowell, Harry Glover, Oskar Hirskyj-Douglas and Ethan Waddleton who have progressed from the England Sevens academy to the World Series, or will hope to follow the likes of Gray back to the 15-a-side game, all the better for their sevens’ experience.
Amor added: “Cameron, Ethan and Oskar have all developed well this season and we are excited about how much better they can be in another year’s time. Harry Glover will also remain involved alongside his academic commitments in Newcastle. With their recent experiences, these players will be key to integrating and supporting the development of the new academy guys.
“A lot of effort went into the preparation for this year’s talent identification camp, making sure the right 22 players were offered the opportunity to put themselves forward for selection. It was a rigorous vetting process and we are looking forward to offering a number of contracts as we continue to develop players for England Sevens and the 15-a-side game.”
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