The former Yorkshire Schools County cricketer turned open side flanker is one of seven new caps named in the England Sevens squad ahead of tomorrow’s Emirates Airline Dubai Sevens.  Michael is amongst friends however, as the squad includes his former England Under 21s team mates James Haskell (London Wasps) and Tom Croft (Leicester Tigers).  “As a group we have really bonded and it's good fun.  Training has been enjoyable, although there is a lot to learn.  I am confident that we can win.  We have a good set of players, and each time we train more and more is coming together so we know we can do it, we just have to go out there and prove it.  We know there are plenty of other good teams out there who all want to steal England’s crown.”

The players arrived in Dubai on Monday and have had a few days to get used to the climate and environment.  Michael says, “This place is amazing. There is construction everywhere. You drive around and there is either sand or cranes and diggers everywhere you go.  We are here to play rugby so haven’t had much time to see the city, but we did get the afternoon off on Monday when we arrived and went to the local water park, which was good fun after the flight.”

“Last night we had a player’s function in the desert and were driven across the sand dunes to the function.  My driver seemed to either not know what he was doing or deliberately wanted to scare us as he kept getting stuck going up the dunes!”

Michael admits that with less than 24 hours until England’s first match against Scotland, he is starting to feel some nerves.  "This afternoon I will try and relax and rest, perhaps watch some of the past games on DVD to refresh the moves in my head and then get an early night before tomorrow.  Every time I am given an England shirt with my name on it is an incredibly proud moment.  It is my dream is to ultimately play for the senior England team but at the moment this is a fantastic opportunity to be able to play rugby and represent my country.  It’s an incredible moment.”

Michael hopes that knowing his family are in the stands will help him overcome any last minute nerves and act as a comfort when he takes to the pitch.  “I am lucky that my mum or dad have always been able to watch me play and so it would feel more weird if they weren’t there to watch me.”

Keep up to date with Michael and the England team’s progress on rfu.com/sevens

Coverage of the Emirates Airline Dubai Sevens will be broadcast both live and in highlight form this weekend on the BBC ONE, TWO and Interactive.

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