Thursday 13th October 2005.
England Sevens will face home nation Australia in the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne next March. The seedings and pools have been confirmed and England are seeded third behind defending Commonwealth Games champions New Zealand and Fiji.  England were knocked out of the Manchester Commonwealth Games by Fiji who went on to win Silver, but England will travel to Melbourne as top of their pool.
England met Australia in the last Commonwealth Games, beating them 36-12 in the Plate Final.  England Sevens Coach Mike Friday is looking forward to the tournament, "Not only is this a tough pool for us but it also means that, if everything goes to plan and we top our pool, we face a tough quarter final against either South Africa or Samoa. That isn't necessarily a bad thing as to win any tournament you have to beat everyone you face anyway and we need to prepare for the Games knowing that we have to win every match." 
Friday was Assistant Coach for the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester where England received tremendous support from the home crowd. "Being the home nation means that you do have the crowd behind you but at the same time it means there is great expectation both from the crowd and from the other players to do well. Australia will have to deal with this added pressure as the home side. However, Australia do have a fantastic sporting tradition and tend to raise their game when they play on home soil and they won't be easy to beat."
England's Pool C also includes the Cook Islands and Sri Lanka.  Phil Greening, who has just been appointed as the Assistant Coach for the England Sevens and who captained the 2002 Commonwealth Games squad said, "Playing in the Commonwealth Games in Manchester was definately one of the highlights of my career. It is such a special experience to live with the other athletes and see the other sports.  Playing in front of a packed Manchester stadium was a very special experience."
Top seed New Zealand who won their sixth competitive IRB Sevens series last season top Pool A and will face Kenya, Wales and Namibia.  2002 Silver Medallists Fiji head up Pool B which also includes Scotland, Canada and Zambia whilst Pool D is headed up by South Africa and includes Samoa, Tonga and Uganda.
Rugby Sevens is a core sport at the Commonwealth Games and is played over two days (16th and 17th March) at the Telstra Stadium in Melbourne.
England Sevens captain Simon Amor, the current IRB Sevens Player of the Year, was part of the 2002 Commonwealth Games squad along with current England full back Josh Lewsey, and is determined to be put forward for selection for the Games.  "The Commonwealth Games was an awesome experience. It is completely unique in that you aren't there just as the England Sevens squad but part of the much bigger Team England and you get to meet athletes from all different sports and from all around the world.  With rugby being so popular in Australia the matches are expected to be sell outs and the atmosphere will be incredible. It will be a very tough tournament but we have an exciting squad and competition for places will be immense."
Mike Friday captained the 1998 Commonwealth Games squad in Kuala Lumpur and believes that the desire to be put forward for selection for the Games has added an extra buzz to the squad, "Playing in the Commonwealth Games was one of highlights of my playing career.  Being around other athletes and gaining a perspective of what other sports people go through is a great experience. It has already caught the imagination of the players in the sevens squad, and not just amongst the new uncapped players.  Experienced sevens players like Simon Amor and Henry Paul (both Gloucester) are all really keen to be involved - they feel like they have unfinished business in not having won a Commonwealth Games medal and are determined to have another crack."