Friday 8th June 2007

Now the IRB Sevens series has finished England,s Rob Thirlby has to find other places to play rugby and where better than in the Italian sunshine of the Roma Sevens.  Joining him in the Samurai International RFC team this weekend will be his younger brother Paul, who also plays alongside him at Redruth. 

Rob, 28, scored his 100th try of the IRB Sevens last weekend in the Emirates Airline Edinburgh Sevens and has played sevens all over the world.  He admits he enjoys playing alongside his younger sibling.  "Paul and I grew up playing mini rugby together at St Ives where we lived, and were always competitive on and off the pitch.  We have been lucky enough to play together for several teams over the years and have both recently signed new deals with Redruth.  We have played together at Twickenham for the Cornwall Sevens side but this is the first time we have played abroad in the same team.  There are definate advantages to playing with your brother - he is always more honest and direct with me on the pitch than some other players but will also always yell at me if I mess up!"

Twenty six year old Paul will line up alongside Rob in his first Samurai appearance, but Rob has played for the invitational team several times before, most recently at the Ledbury Sevens.  Rob continues, "It tends to be Paul who gives me advice on the pitch rather than the other way around, and now our younger brother Grant has also signed for Redruth so there could be three Thirlbys on the pitch by next season!"

Now that the IRB Sevens series has finished with England in fifth place, Rob is able to reflect on what he describes as a "mixed season" for England.  "It was a massive development season for England Sevens I think.  We experienced some great highs when we beat the likes of Fiji and South Africa but also some massive lows when we lost to Kenya and Wales. We showed that we had the ability to perform against the top sides but were just not consistent enough.  I am really committed to working hard next season and getting England Sevens back on track and back up to where we were a few years ago.  It would also be nice to be able to score a few more tries to add to my 101!"

Rob and Paul Thirlby play in the Roma Sevens tomorrow.

Ends.