This is Sussex --
RUGBY: Sevens boss Ben Ryan is backing England to dominate on the international stage after witnessing firsthand the emergence of former Worth School flyer Tom Mitchell at last month's World Cup.
It is 20 years since Lawrence Dallaglio and Matt Dawson led England to an inaugural 7s World Cup win at Murrayfield – an achievement so nearly matched in Russia last month by Mitchell.
Ryan's side were only beaten in the final by New Zealand and with a host of half-backs – Mitchell, Marcus Watson and Christian Lewis-Pratt – in their early 20s the future looks very bright indeed for England.
Mitchellhelped Oxford to beat Cambridge 28-10 in the 2011 Varsity Match and led Great Britain to the World University Rugby 7s Championship title in Brive in July 2012.
And with a hugely exciting three years ahead of him – the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in 2014 and the Rio Olympic Games in 2016 – Ryan expects even more from his young pretender.
"There is more to come from this team, the important players, and the half-backs who make the decisions are very young – Tom Mitchell is outstanding," said Ryan, who will be watching this summer's JP Morgan Asset Management Premiership Rugby 7s Series in the hope of adding to his squad.
"Tom, Christian Lewis-Pratt, Marcus Watson – these are guys that are crucial players and are all around 22 and are staying together. This is a side that still have a lot of growing to do in the international game, a very tough environment these days – but in Tom we have some real talent.
"You cannot be off your game for a second if you want to win tournaments at the world level, World Cups and Commonwealth titles. Making a World Cup final is a great thing and our first for 20 years so we are very pleased.
"In the final we were beaten by the better side. The conditions were terrible and we didn't make the decisions that we spoke about at the start of the game.
"We're the best side in Europe, the northern hemisphere and, since February, we have been a young squad that are right up there with the best teams in the world. If this had been the Olympics then we would have got the silver medal, a fantastic achievement."
For the 2016 Olympic Games England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland will all come together to form a 7s equivalent of the Lions under the Team GB umbrella.
And Ryan believes that would be a strong side if all goes to plan. He said: "Like the other head coaches, I want the strongest home nation's side representing us at the Olympics and we will have to see what decision is reached."
The final of JP Morgan Premiership Rugby 7s will be at the Recreation Ground, the home of Bath, on Friday, August 9.
For tickets and more information visit: www.jpmorgan7s.com or follow @jpmorganrugby7s Reported by This is 9 minutes ago.
RUGBY: Sevens boss Ben Ryan is backing England to dominate on the international stage after witnessing firsthand the emergence of former Worth School flyer Tom Mitchell at last month's World Cup.
It is 20 years since Lawrence Dallaglio and Matt Dawson led England to an inaugural 7s World Cup win at Murrayfield – an achievement so nearly matched in Russia last month by Mitchell.
Ryan's side were only beaten in the final by New Zealand and with a host of half-backs – Mitchell, Marcus Watson and Christian Lewis-Pratt – in their early 20s the future looks very bright indeed for England.
Mitchellhelped Oxford to beat Cambridge 28-10 in the 2011 Varsity Match and led Great Britain to the World University Rugby 7s Championship title in Brive in July 2012.
And with a hugely exciting three years ahead of him – the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in 2014 and the Rio Olympic Games in 2016 – Ryan expects even more from his young pretender.
"There is more to come from this team, the important players, and the half-backs who make the decisions are very young – Tom Mitchell is outstanding," said Ryan, who will be watching this summer's JP Morgan Asset Management Premiership Rugby 7s Series in the hope of adding to his squad.
"Tom, Christian Lewis-Pratt, Marcus Watson – these are guys that are crucial players and are all around 22 and are staying together. This is a side that still have a lot of growing to do in the international game, a very tough environment these days – but in Tom we have some real talent.
"You cannot be off your game for a second if you want to win tournaments at the world level, World Cups and Commonwealth titles. Making a World Cup final is a great thing and our first for 20 years so we are very pleased.
"In the final we were beaten by the better side. The conditions were terrible and we didn't make the decisions that we spoke about at the start of the game.
"We're the best side in Europe, the northern hemisphere and, since February, we have been a young squad that are right up there with the best teams in the world. If this had been the Olympics then we would have got the silver medal, a fantastic achievement."
For the 2016 Olympic Games England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland will all come together to form a 7s equivalent of the Lions under the Team GB umbrella.
And Ryan believes that would be a strong side if all goes to plan. He said: "Like the other head coaches, I want the strongest home nation's side representing us at the Olympics and we will have to see what decision is reached."
The final of JP Morgan Premiership Rugby 7s will be at the Recreation Ground, the home of Bath, on Friday, August 9.
For tickets and more information visit: www.jpmorgan7s.com or follow @jpmorganrugby7s Reported by This is 9 minutes ago.