Great Britain Reveal Olympic Sevens Training Squad
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Great Britain Sevens head coach Simon Amor has announced his wider training squad for the Rio Olympics which includes a combination of Sevens specialists and 15-a-side players from England, Scotland and Wales.
Dan Norton, the World Rugby Sevens Series’ fourth highest leading try scorer of all time, international captains Tom Mitchell and Luke Treharne, and experienced players such as Scotland’s Mark Robertson and Scott Riddell are among the 19 sevens specialists.
Named alongside them are 15s players, Cory Allen (Cardiff Blues), Mark Bennett (Glasgow Warriors), James Davies (Scarlets), Ollie Lindsay-Hague (Harlequins), Joe Simpson (Wasps) and Marcus Watson (Newcastle Falcons).
“We have watched a significant amount of footage throughout the season of 15-a-side players and every sevens game from England, Scotland and Wales,” said Amor.
“Exciting talent was available to us and competition for places was tough. We’re now really looking forward to bringing this group together as one team and creating an incredible Great Britain spirit.”
“For the 15s players aiming to make that transition, recent sevens experience at the top level was important given how much the world of sevens rugby has progressed in the last three to four years,” added Amor.
“We were also targeting players in certain key positions to add strength in depth and complement the qualities of the specialists we already have.”
As part of Olympic preparations, two Great Britain Sevens squads will compete in four tournaments including the Rugby Europe Sevens Series in Moscow (4-5 June), Exeter (9-10 July) and Gdynia (16-17 July) as well as Sevens and the City at Allianz Park (2 July).
Great Britain Sevens training squad: Cory Allen (Cardiff Blues), Mark Bennett (Glasgow Warriors), Dan Bibby (England Sevens), Tom Bowen (England Sevens), Phil Burgess (England Sevens), Sam Cross (Wales Sevens), James Davies (Scarlets), Alex Davis (England Sevens), Richard de Carpentier (England Sevens), Jamie Farndale (Scotland Sevens), Alex Gray (England Sevens), Charlie Hayter (England Sevens), Warwick Lahmert (England Sevens), Ollie Lindsay-Hague (Harlequins), Gavin Lowe (Scotland Sevens), Ruaridh McConnochie (England Sevens), Tom Mitchell (England Sevens), Luke Morgan (Wales Sevens), Dan Norton (England Sevens), Scott Riddell (Scotland Sevens), Mark Robertson (Scotland Sevens), James Rodwell (England Sevens), Joe Simpson (Wasps), Luke Treharne (Wales Sevens), Marcus Watson (Newcastle Falcons)
