England 7s Squad

 

England 7's Squad met up for training this week and talked about their hopes for the IRB World Sevens Series and the 7's Rugby World Cup to be held in Hong Kong in March 2005.

Mike Friday England Sevens Head Coach when asked about preparations, England's biggest rivals, and England's successful record in Hong Kong, had this to say:-  

“In terms of preparation our training has been meticulous building up to the new season. This is the first time we have had 25 players in training which is great because we are able to create the competitive environment on the training park in order to make sure they all work hard for a place in the touring squad. Additionally a lot of the training for them is done away from our set-up because we only have a certain amount of training days but we are also making sure that all 20 players are up to speed with everything we do.  This means they all know exactly what they have to do which will hopefully give us the consistency in performance which is what we are looking for.”

“I am always going to say New Zealand will be our toughest rivals both in the world series and in the Rugby World Cup. They are our main rivals but South Africa have also made great leaps and bounds over the past few seasons and Argentina were impressive last year. Australia are improving and if you look at the Islanders they are just such an unknown quantity. One tournament they can play fantastically well and then hit a low in another. There are also several up and coming nations like Kenya who have proved that they can beat anyone on their day. The important thing about the sevens series and the Rugby World Cup is that you never know who could win so you have to turn up and make sure you have your house in order and that your are ready to play consistently.”

   

“The Hong Kong tournament is the nearest thing for us to playing at home. It is fantastic to play rugby there because of the crowd and the atmosphere. The whole essence that surrounds the tournament is special. When the boys go there they always get a great reception and it lifts them. At the same time they have always reacted to that and they perform. The Rugby World Cup couldn’t be in a better place for us. The pressure will be on us because we have won there in the last three tournaments and everyone always wants to beat us in Hong Kong . I know all the other teams try that little harder to beat us there but in terms of confidence for the boys, as long as they recognise they can’t rest on what the boys before them have done, I have every confidence of success in Hong Kong.“

 

 

Captain Simon Amor (Gloucester RFC), talked about England coming second in the last 7's series, the expanded squad, Mike Lydon, the newcomers to the squad and again Hong Kong.

 

“For two years now I have stood at the bottom of the steps at Twickenham having won the tournament there but having had to watch New Zealand lift the tournament trophy. It is gut wrenching stuff. That is sport and you have highs and lows but it is also a great motivating factor to make me and the squad more determined to win the series this year. It makes the players want to make sure they are in great shape for the next series.”

 

“One of our faults over the last couple of years has been that we have not had a big squad or much training time together. Not having strength in depth meant that in the past we have had to bring players in cold for an imminent tournament and that is difficult. Sevens is so much different to playing 15aside rugby. It is a completely different game and that makes it difficult for players to adjust rapidly over such a short space of time.

 

“To have a group of 25 players now is just fantastic and just as importantly to have a group of training days together is going to help us massively. This is the first time we have had that. Sometimes in the past we struggled a few days before a tournament but now we have got the reassurance that that is not going to happen.”

   

“Mike was a player when I first started playing so I know him well and have great respect for him. In the past he always helped Joe Lydon with his coaching ideas so he was always around. In my opinion Mike has got one of the best sevens brains in the world without a doubt and his best attribute is that he has a great way of talking to players at all levels and I think that is quite a unique trait.”

 

“There are a whole group of new young players, all of which are very talented. I think they will add a lot to the dynamics of this team. There is Delon Armitage, James Bailey, who has been exceptional for Gloucester , Andy Vilk is also very talented and Neil Starling. It is very exciting because we have never had that strength in depth before. Sevens is also a great way for these young guys to show what they can do on the world stage and hopefully fast track themselves into the full England side. The other benefit for them is that at Zurich Premiership club you can’t replicate an atmosphere of 40,000 people in a Hong Kong final. That is an experience in itself and when you play a tournament like that it makes you deal with the big match pressure which is a massive asset to your game.”

 

“We are very lucky that the Rugby World Cup is being held in Hong Kong . We have a bit of a love affair with that ground. No other side have won four Hong Kong tournaments in a row and that is what we want to do as well as win the Rugby World Cup. There is a bit of a pressure on us because we are one of a few teams to have won there three times on the trot but that will make the rewards even richer for us.”

 

 

Pat Sanderson ( Worcester RFC), on looking ahead to the new season….

 

“It is a massively important season for us both in the IRB World Sevens Series and the Rugby World Cup. The squad have to be massively focused and we have got to make sure we get it right straight from the beginning if we are to win. We are still a bit bitter about finishing second in the last two series and that is why we have got to be consistent throughout. This is the first time the whole squad have had a chance to get together. It has been positive and the guys are looking organised. We are definitely starting off on a higher plain than we have been in previous seasons.”

 

 

Rob Thirlby (Penzance & Newlyn), Ambitions….

 

“I love playing sevens and it is part of the reason I stepped down to National Division One rugby. I wanted to do all the sevens games and train fully for it and being in the situation I am now in gives me that freedom. Personally my ambition now is to go the next step in terms of winning the IRB Sevens World Series. We have been a bit inconsistent in the past, showing that we can register some good performances in the tournaments but not managing to nail it completely. We have clearly lacked the consistency New Zealand have had and that is why they have won for the last two years. This is a massive year for us and in my mind winning the series and the Rugby World Cup is a goal which is achievable if we set our minds to it and put the work into it. The full England team have shown the dedication you need to win the sport’s ultimate prize and now we have got to show that we can do that too in sevens.”

 

 

Phil Dowson ( Newcastle Falcons), On Mike Friday, the squad, England 's ambitions to win the 7's RWC  

 

“With Mike Friday coming into the squad he has brought with him a lot of good ideas and he wants us to make sure we don’t make the same mistakes we have made over the last couple of years which has meant we have come second twice by four and six points. He is determined we are consistent throughout the eight tournaments and then into the Rugby World Cup.”

 

“This year we have got a lot bigger squad and it is great news because we have now got the depth. If a player becomes injured there will always be another player on standby who knows our systems and our patterns of play. It is going to be a big boost to us on the pitch. We have also got a few more training days available which is all good and will help make us into a stronger outfit.”

 

“The 15 aside team won the world cup last year and we have the ability to win it in sevens. No team has ever won both titles and it would be an awesome achievement if we could be the first to do it. The problem is, that is also the aim of all the other teams!”

 

 

Richard Haughton (Saracens) talked of the England set-up changing for the better, and how winning the 7's RWC would raise the profile of the 7's.

 

“This is my fifth season in sevens and looking back it has changed massively, all for the best. The coaching and the availability of players has improved tremendously and that has changed our emphasis completely. Yes, sevens is used to develop a player’s game but we are also now trying to win tournaments, series and world cups which is all possible.”

   

“If we won the Sevens Rugby World Cup it would raise the profile of the sport massively in England and I think a lot more people would want to start playing the game. The world cup is the be all and end all for us.”

 

 

Delon Armitage ( London Irish), on his delight at being included and his ambitions.

   

“This is my first season with the England sevens and I was delighted to be selected for the squad. Last year I played in the young England trials and that has built me up for this. I know most of the guys already and they have made the transition very easy for me and I am very excited about what could lie ahead.”

 

“My ambition this season is to get into the sevens touring squad because I want to get as much experience as I can. I am in my last year at London Irish’s academy and although I have made a few Zurich Premiership starts this season it has certainly made me hungrier. Maybe this year if I don’t get in the world cup it won’t be such a big thing for me as I want the experience first to set me up for that in the future. I think I have made the step up to play top level rugby and hopefully I can show that to London Irish and Mike Friday.”

 

 

 

 

 

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