Thursday 25th May 2006

2008 Emirates Airline London Sevens competition

Please note that the news story below is archived here for historical interest and refers to the London Sevens competition in 2006.

In 5 seconds you will be redirected to the 2008 Emirates Airline London Sevens competition site.

Newcastle Falcon Ollie Phillips missed out on playing in the final two legs of the IRB Sevens last season due to injury, but this year the 23 year old from Brighton is determined to get the call up.  Paris (this weekend) and London (3rd & 4th June) are the final two tournaments and offer England a real chance of becoming the first team other than New Zealand to win the IRB Sevens in its seven year history.  However, Fiji - England's fierce rivals all season - currently stand in their way.

Ollie, who has played England Sevens for the past two seasons, explained, "Fiji are ten points ahead of us going into the last two tournaments. England and Fiji have met each other in finals all season and both have won three tournaments each so its really exciting going into these last two legs.  It is still very much mathematically possible for England to overtake Fiji and win the series, and every single player is fired up ready to win these two tournaments."

Ollie narrowly missed selection for the Commonwealth Games but enjoyed cheering on his team mates from back in England. He said, "I was gutted not to be selected as I desperately wanted to go, but it was a benefit in a way as I managed to play a few first team games for the Falcons so every cloud has its lining I guess!"

Ollie is part of the 16 man training squad who are currently in camp in West London. The squad will be reduced to 12 later today and Ollie is hoping to be able to play his part in the series finale, "Its good to be back with all the sevens boys and I really enjoy the training. I really hope to do enough to earn selection for Paris and London, particularly as I missed out last year.  It has been a good season on the whole. Winning the Los Angeles Sevens back in February was one of the season highlights for me as it was an incredible experience and one I won't forget in a hurry. In terms of Falcons my highlight was probably coming back from injury for the club and scoring against Bath."

"I have really enjoyed playing England Sevens for the last couple of years. It is a very relaxed squad with a great set of lads, and the feeling when you step onto the pitch and represent your country is just amazing. Its the highest accolade you can have as a player and I have loved every minute of it.  Its a very talented squad with some very impressive players and the whole international sevens environment has been a great test for me personally as a player."

The final tournament in the eight leg series is at Twickenham on 3rd & 4th June, and Ollie is hoping to get the chance to represent England at the home of England Rugby. "I have played Middlesex Sevens and England Universities at Twickenham but this would be the biggest opportunity for me to represent my country on home soil. It would be a massive occasion and all my family live in Brighton so I am sure there would be hoards of them in the stands all cheering the team on.  It would be unbelievable if we are in a position where we have won in Paris and then are in a situation whereby we can win the series at Twickenham.  I really hope as many England fans as possible will come along and support us."

Tickets to watch England play at the Emirates Airline London Sevens are available from Ticketmaster on 0870 902 0000 priced from just £10. Keep up to date with the team's progress in Paris at rfu.com/sevens

Ends.