Thursday 24th November 2005

England Sevens coach Mike Friday has today named his 12 man squad for the opening two legs of the IRB Sevens in Dubai and George.

IRB Sevens Player of the Year Simon Amor (Gloucester) will once again captain the side (his fourth season in the role), which includes experienced sevens player Henry Paul (Gloucester) alongside the speed of Newcastle Falcon's winger Mathew Tait and centre Andy Vilk of Northampton Saints.

Tom Varndell of Leicester Tigers, who will also appear on the bench for England this Saturday against Samoa, has also been named in the sevens squad.  Mike Friday is excited about seeing Tom in action in Dubai, "Tom is incredibly quick and is the leading try scorer in the Guinness Premiership.  We call him the racehorse as he is tall, slim and very fast just like Red Rum!  His call up to the senior squad is a reflection of the outstanding season he is having and I am looking forward to seeing how he copes with the intensity of international sevens. It will be a steep learning curve for all of the new players as they will be playing in front of a noisy 30,000 crowd and they will have to learn very quickly how to handle the heat and physical demands of sevens.  This really is an exciting, raw team for England as we have three uncapped players and four who have only played a handful of tournaments but I am sure they will rise to the challenge."

If Tom makes his debut for England against Samoa on Saturday he will become the first player in England Rugby history to make two different England debuts within a week, as he will earn his first Sevens cap on Thursday 1st December.

Speaking on the selection for the both tournaments Mike Friday said, "It was a tough selection process as we have a number of exciting and talented youngsters who could have stepped up to the plate and made the final squad. This is a transitional period for the England Sevens squad as a number of our experienced players have progressed to the senior England squad, which is great news, but I am pleased that we still have a backbone of experienced players such as Simon Amor, Ben Gollings and Henry Paul.  Henry is one of the country's best sevens players and I am thrilled that he is back within the squad.  I am very grateful to the premiership club directors of rugby for releasing the players and am confident that every single player will benefit from the experience of representing England in the IRB Sevens."

Mike will be joined for the first time on the sidelines at a tournament by Phil Greening who was recently appointed as Assistant Coach. Phil is himself an experienced England Sevens player and has been impressed by the standard on show at the training camps.  "We have some really quick players in the squad and I am pleased that several players will earn their first caps in these opening two tournaments.  We face a tough challenge if we are to retain our title in Dubai but training has gone well and we are heading to Dubai and George looking for a win in both tournaments."

Mike Simon, Emirates' Senior Vice President Corporate Communications said, "As ever the Dubai Sevens tournament is set to be a fantastic and exciting event. England always command great support in Dubai and the England squad will receive the warmest of welcomes. We wish them every success."

England Sevens Squad for the Emirates Airline Dubai and George Sevens:
Simon Amor (Gloucester) (Capt.)
Ben Foden (Sale Sharks)*
Ben Gollings (Sunnybank)
Jonny Hylton (Worcester Warriors)*  
Will Matthews (Gloucester)
Nils Mordt (London Irish)
Luke Narraway (Gloucester)*
Henry Paul (Gloucester)
Ben T Russell (Saracens)
Mathew Tait (Newcastle Falcons)
Tom Varndell (Leicester Tigers)*
Andy Vilk (Northampton Saints)