Key Facts
| Squad | England Sevens |
|---|
| Position | Wing |
|---|
| Age | 25 |
|---|
| Height | 1.8m (5'11") |
|---|
| Weight | 82kg (12st 12lb) |
|---|
| IRB World Series | 34 events |
|---|
A spectacular spree of 52 tries, an England record, in the IRB 2012-13 World Series has swept Dan Norton, the top touchdown maker in the tournament this season, into second place behind Ben Gollings (220) in the list of England’s top all-time scorers. He has run in 127 overall to overtake Richard Haughton (106), Rob Thirlby (101) and former captain Simon Amor (71).
He celebrated his 24th birthday last year on the eve of the Cathay Pacific/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens. In 2011-12, he was second leading IRB Series scorer with 37 behind teammate Mat Turner (38), who had set an England record. Being the third highest try-scorer overall with 32 in the 2010-11 HSBC Sevens World Series was only part of the ongoing success story of Dan, who joined Bristol Rugby in the summer of 2009 after two years with Gloucester, his home city club.
His Sevens success dates back to a triumphant debut in Wellington in February 2009 and he has shown an intuitive knack of popping up with a vital score. None more so than when bagging the winning try in England’s success over New Zealand in the final of the 2009 Emirates Airlines London Sevens.
A product of Hartpury College, he was previously educated at Brockworth Enterprise and began playing when eight at Spartans RFC. Dan represented Gloucestershire U16 and U18, South West U18 and became a member of the England U20 Grand Slam winning side.
Most of his two years with Gloucester were spent on loan to Moseley, where he made an impact by helping to turn the side from underdogs to ‘thunder-dogs’. He contributed a try as the side produced one of the shock results of the 2008-09 season with a 23-18 win over Leeds Carnegie in the EDF National Trophy final at Twickenham.
It was a proud day for his mentors, dad Aubrey and Hartpury coach Allan Lewis, who Dan says has improved his game and helped him to understand it more. The tries are still rolling in. Before the 2009 HSBC Sevens World Series began in Dubai, he was even the leading scorer in the Championship.
Last updated: May 15, 2013
