Team GB Sevens outlook

Team GB’s plans for the Rio Olympics this summer took a disheartening turn for the worse these past two weeks, as England, who will contribute the mainstay of the GB sevens team, turned in two disappointing performances in the HSBC World Sevens Series.

Losses to Australia and Scotland in the pool stage of the Las Vegas leg, as well as a draw with Japan, saw England plummet into the Bowl competition, where they ended up losing to France in the quarter-finals. They then dropped into the Shield, where they immediately lost to Canada. With a solitary draw and four losses for their efforts in the US, England fell to 7^th in the standings.

There were some positives for Team GB, with Wales beating Scotland and France on their way to winning the Bowl competition. That said, with Wales sitting at 13^th and Scotland at 10^th in the overall standings, it’s fair to say that Team GB are not currently causing New Zealand, Fiji or South Africa any sleepless nights.

There was not much joy a week later for England in Vancouver, where they once again failed to qualify for the Cup competition, instead having to make do with a place in the Bowl. Again, Wales and Scotland offered slightly more hope, both making the Cup, but they were quickly dispatched at the quarter-final stage by South Africa and Australia respectively.

There is no easy remedy or quick fix for the home nations’ struggles and though many have pointed to the influx of 15s stars in the New Zealand and South African squads, it has been England’s losses, rather than their inability to bring in big additions, that has seen them fall away of late.

England lost two of their most effective game-breakers last season in Marcus Watson and Mike Ellery, who are now impressing with Newcastle Falcons and Saracens respectively. Whilst it is great news that clubs are recognising the talents of sevens players and bringing them into the Aviva Premiership, with the England Sevens team working as both a standalone side and a developmental tool, it couldn’t have come at a worse time.

The Fijian, New Zealand and South African sides are overflowing with players capable of changing a game in a moment and it’s the absence of those types of players that has seen England – and Wales and Scotland – struggle this season.

England can’t go cherry-picking standout players from their club sides due to independent ownership, but there are certainly dynamic players who could be approached over the coming months and contribute significantly, much as Jack Clifford and Christian Wade have done in recent years.

Saracens and former England U20 wing Nathan Earle is one example. His impressive combination of raw physical skills and exciting back three technique could see him excel on the sevens circuit, especially with injury having hindered his opportunities at club level over the last 18 months. A handful of bench appearances for Saracens are all Earle has to his name so far this season and the confidence boost he could gain from featuring for England and potentially GB in sevens could open the door to an even brighter future in XVs.

From the same U20 class, the likes of Aaron Morris (Saracens), James Chisholm (Harlequins) and Howard Packman (Northampton Saints) have also been limited to bench appearances and/or dual-registration in the Greene King IPA Championship, and could all add to the England team in the remaining four legs of the World Series. Newcastle’s Zach Kibirige and Edinburgh’s Magnus Bradbury are two more names that could add a currently missing spark to their respective sides.

As the season progresses, it seems as though Fiji, New Zealand and South Africa are finding more and more options ahead of the Olympics and look very solid bets to all feature in the medal haul in Rio. Conversely, Simon Amor’s options seem to be getting more and more limited as time moves on.