Amor impressed with England’s newest sevens stars

This content was originally posted in 7DAYS UAE website at: Amor impressed with England’s newest sevens stars Simon Amor is excited by the talent he has at his disposal as England look to kick off the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series with an impressive showing in Dubai. England have lost Marcus Watson and Jeff Williams to the XV man game, but head coach Amor still believes his squad can achieve big things this season. “There are some voids to be filled but I’m delighted with the way that Cameron [Cowell] and Ruaridh [McConnochie] have progressed over a very long pre-season,” he said. “They have real potential and I’m confident that they are going to give it everything and perform well for the programme. “We are in a strong place to give a good account of ourselves.” However, it won’t be an easy task in Dubai with England drawn alongside Australia, Wales and Kenya in Pool D. “The first tournament is always fascinating seeing who the new players are and the new styles of rugby,” added Amor. “Australia are very consistent and potentially with some superstars to feature, they will be a big challenge. “Kenya, with a new coaching set-up, will be buoyed by their recent success in qualifying for the Olympics and will pose a very physical challenge. “We are familiar with Wales, a team with a lot of pride, and Gareth Williams is a very good coach so it will be a great pool.” Depth has been created in the men’s programme this year by the introduction of academy and development squads. These young players will also travel to Dubai to compete under the banner of The Royals in the invitational tournament where they will play Spain, Germany Development and Canada Maple Leaf. “Dubai is such a unique set up with thousands of players,” said Amor. “It is a brilliant opportunity for us to get both our senior team squad and young academy talent there as one programme, improving and working hard for each other.” England Men: Tom Bowen; Dan Bibby; John Brake; Phil Burgess; Cameron Cowell; Richard De Carpentier; Alex Gray; Dan Norton; Ruaridh McConnochie; Tom Mitchell (capt); James Rodwell; Josh Watkins Tickets for the Emirates Airline Dubai Rugby Sevens can be purchased online at www.dubairugby7s.com Ticket Prices are: Thursday, 3 December – FREE ADMISSION Friday, 4 December – in advance AED300, on the day AED400 Saturday, 5 December – in advance AED300, on the day AED400 Season Tickets (Friday and Saturday) – in advance AED500, on the day AED600 Children under 12 are admitted free of charge if accompanied by an adult. Read the original story at: Amor impressed with England’s newest sevens stars