LAST stop London! After 75,000 miles clocked up travelling around the globe, our final destination in the HSBC Sevens World Series this year for the first time ever is Twickenham Stadium and the Marriott London Sevens.

I can tell you it was a dream to just have a short flight from Glasgow to London as it’s not uncommon for us to cross multitudes of time zones as we move from one venue to another. I think as a result this weekend you will see a lot of energy from all the teams on the pitch as they can use the time this week to recharge and get ready for 100,000-plus supporters this weekend in the finale of the series.

Last weekend was a big step in the direction of travel for this team and England Sevens. We have always wanted to play a fast attacking style but it has taken time to really hit its straps. It’s not a quick fix and it takes time to put in this sort of cultural model into play.

I guess we put down a major marker of how determined we are to play this way by our approach in extra-time in the semi final against Fiji.

We caught the ball off our own kick off and then went 18 passes, one ruck, about 40 metres backwards and across the width of the field three times before finding the space to exploit and score the winning try.

I was so pleased to see all the hours of practice pay off and it was even better it was tested under the duress of extra time against such a fantastic team like Fiji.

The final felt like one that got away and with around 90 seconds left and 19-14 down against New Zealand we felt all we needed was to get hold of the ball and our attack would grab the decisive winner.

Alas, we were penalised near our line and effectively with it the game was over and our chance gone. Yes, we had three tough games against Australia, South Africa and Fiji in the run to the final but we felt fresh and ready for the battle.

So, we left disappointed but also quietly pleased now we know that our style is bedded in and as more games are played the confidence will grow and we will improve more and more.

It’s been the first time we have also had a group playing that we know are in the programme next year as well, so collectively everyone is driving hard in the same direction. It is a hugely exciting time and I’m sure we will inevitably hit some choppy waters this weekend and in the future but the progress the lads have made has been brilliant and I’m so proud of their efforts.

So, to this weekend and our chances. New Zealand will be desperate to win the series in style and Fiji will want to remind everyone just how good they have been this year.

Samoa, I felt, played some superb stuff in Scotland and they too will be keen to take out another tournament. Wales also continued all their huge strides this year and have really become a fantastic side under Paul John. I think all the European sides will have a good showing in the final event. I also hope you can see how well i have side-stepped my own question!

I’m sure our team will be doing just the same against opposing players as they play at full throttle this weekend, dodging and weaving their way forward.

The team this year have been incredibly hard-working in wanting to get better and they are a huge credit on and off the field to England Rugby.

They play their socks off for their country and that’s all I ask this weekend. I’m sure as the tournament goes on, I’ll turn more and more from coach into a fan as I let them go out onto the Twickenham turf and just go for it. Come on England!

In this video featuring England coach Ben Ryan and England Women’s captain Michaela Staniford, we look at the team’s prospects.

Download a copy of the video here

Konichiwa from Tokyo! Last week we were in Hong Kong and this week made the short four-hour flight across to Japan and the quite amazing city of Tokyo.

We didn’t hit the heights we aspire to when we lost 14-7 to Fiji at the semi final stage of the Cathay Pacific/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens. In terms of possession and chances, we did more than enough to reach the final and watching the game back again is not a lot of fun.

We could quite easily have been in a winning position after the first four minutes but chances were not converted and back came Fiji to march into the final. Congratulations to them. I know how much a Hong Kong victory means in the Islands and they were very worthy champions this year in probably, as New Zealand coach Gordon Tietjens has said, the hardest Hong Kong Sevens in history.

Now we are in Shinjuku, training and resting before the seventh leg of the HSBC Sevens World Series. The weather is more akin to a sunny winter’s day in England which has thrown one or two players who have T-shirts as their only wardrobe choice!

There is a bit more down-time in week three of our tours as the team need that little bit more rest after the first tournament. That has meant the lads have relaxed, gone to Yoyogi Park and the temple there, visited Shibuya and the famous Five Crossings and neon lights, as well as walk around and just experience normal Tokyo life. It’s such a safe city and the team hotel is in a great place so no-one has been sucked into the ether and disappeared yet on their wanderings.

It’s still been business as usual though and we have mixed up our week with swimming, weights at the Olympic Stadium, and training sessions at Canon Eagles and Meiji University grounds – all of them fantastic facilities.

With only the top 12 sides in the main tournament in Hong Kong, all the teams look a bit more battered and bruised this week. However, we had some practice matches against Russia and I was pleasantly surprised at how well we were moving about and playing with real speed. That’s given us all lots of encouragement that we will have a great weekend here.

Unfortunately we have lost Chris Cracknell to a shoulder injury and Isoa Damudamu, who has had to return home to train with the Army team. These two have been replaced by Chris Brightwell and Sam Edgerley – a great chance to impress for both.

It was about fine margins again last weekend, but there is so much to play for as we approach our two home tournaments and it’s vital we finish strongly. In many ways it has been a fascinating year so far, as I have seen at close hand just how much improvement all the international teams have made.

I wasn’t surprised that Portugal and Spain will join Canada as the three new core teams next year after their successes in the qualification tournament last weekend. Much is made of the dominance of Oceania in world sevens terms but Europe now has six sides in the series next year, the largest contingent from any Continent. Both Portugal and Spain have played at a high level for some time and the new European Series last season really helped them progress even further. Congratulations to both our Iberian friends.

International sevens has its ups and downs for all sides and last week certainly proved that. This weekend is another full of opportunity and excitement for all the players in white, or for the final time, orange. Yes, our famous Tequila Sunrise shirts will finally be laid to rest in Tokyo this weekend and worn for the final time. In the Land of the Rising Sun, it is quite apt, although I hope it is our success, not our shirts, that is being talked about this weekend. Come on, England!

It will probably never get repeated but three HSBC World Series tournaments in three successive weekends, in three different continents, was testing to say the least.

Things like time zone changes, climatic pressure and long-haul travel are all part of the normal routine on the international sevens circuit. On top of this we had to walk the fine line between keeping on top of everything on the field in terms of training and conditioning but also ensuring enough mental and physical rest for everyone.

So, how did we think we fared? You can see the results and where we are in the table but are we happy with where we are going?

In most areas, I’d say we are delighted. Although we lost three players to injury in Port Elizabeth, none were significant and everyone should be fit for selection for the NZI Sevens in Wellington in February, our next destination.

Before the trip, I set two goals.

First, make sure by the end of the month we are there around the top of the table fighting for first spot. Only four points between the top four sides shows it’s going to be the most competitive series for years and we are one good result away from topping the pile with a long way to go.

Secondly, we wanted to win one of the opening tournaments. We did so in Dubai the hard way in reaching the final playing very well, beating two big rivals in Fiji and New Zealand and tactically getting it spot on.

It makes a significant difference to have players in your squad who have won tournaments. It breeds confidence and belief and perhaps more importantly, it feeds the desire to keep winning.

However, there were a few fish that did get away. Our loss to New Zealand in Port Elizabeth was hard to take. The Kiwis did exactly what we had done in Dubai a week earlier, bouncing back to win all six games and claim the next title.

Of course they are a good side and Gordon Tietjens made sure everyone was on the same page for the Port  Elizabeth tournament as you know he always will.

The competition between the two sides is intense and the games are always close. They have a formula against us that often gives them the upper hand and we think we have a way of playing them that also brings success so it’s a fascinating duel between the two teams.

I expect their squad to be considerably bolstered for Wellington so it’s going to be a great ding-dong for the season ahead.

The 12 core teams travel the world together which does foster a lot of relationships between sides but the competition and rivalry keeps most of that at arms length as everyone looks towards a winning programme.

Lots of our routines are the same. Fairly early starts and swim sessions seems uniform across the board and pre-match prep seems pretty similar. The differences occur in how we prepare the team physically, the style of play and the analysis.

On top of that a lot of countries now have full-time programmes. After our European adventure in the summer, it was good to see France and Wales play so well and show there isn’t an Oceania stranglehold on the game. Scotland were easily the unluckiest side not to hit the quarter finals and while we might not be quite brothers in arms politically with the rest of the continent, in sevens at least there was a collective feeling amongst us that  European Sevens is on a sharp rise.

Another continued work-on for us is our own style. Defensively we certainly had the most aggressive system in place and the games against Fiji showed what happens when you get your defence spot-on. That was really pleasing and it allows us to build on this in the coming weeks.

It also meant in attack it freed up some of our key players and you saw Isoa Damudamu, Dan Norton and Mat Turner in particular take advantage of that. Yet we still want more from our attack and there are still big work-ons to get to a level where we can unlock anyone at any time.

The technical things we are doing in training are really testing the players to reach new levels in game understanding and some are still very alien to them. It’s a bit of a crusade for me to continue to work on this and get them playing a style that really will add to what we are doing and not to worry about losing key players to injury as invariably will happen.

I’d say we are 50 per cent of the way there and most of it centres around the players getting more comfortable with altering the tempo we play at. It will eventually permeate through to our game and that’s another reason to get very excited about what is happening with England Sevens.

Make no bones about it. We were at a distinct disadvantage travel-wise compared with the other sides in the top four and while we didn’t get things 100 per cent right, it has been a great month.

The sevens game is undoubtedly the fastest moving international sport in the world off and on the field and we can proudly say we are one of the leading lights. The goal, though, is to be much more than that and after a couple of weeks off for the team, we will return to work harder than we ever have. Thanks for all the tremendous support. Come on England!

WELL, it certainly wasn’t a short trip across to Port Elizabeth! An early rise on Sunday led to all the teams enduring 17 hours of travel to get to our final resting point in the Eastern Cape.

For us, it was a little more forgiving as we had a bit of a spring in our step. Our win in Dubai has been well documented and needless to say I was very proud of the lads and their application to the cause all weekend.

We had the best defence in the tournament and scored 25 very good tries which all combined to make sure we successfully defended the title we won dramatically last year.  Although I would have liked us to have taken more of our chances in the New Zealand quarter final, the win there gave us some good momentum and our performances became more assured after that.

Considering this was after a trip to Australia seven days earlier plus the tournament last weekend – the team were physically in great shape.

We broke a few of our ‘speed’ records, measured on our in game GPS. Mat Turner was clocked at 38kmh and our wingers all hit over 35kmh consistently. On top of this, our collective average speeds for the games were over 30kmh. In layman’s terms that’s fast! It’s also brilliant from a speed endurance point of view and Brett Davison, who oversees our conditioning, has got them in top shape to play the way we want.

However, it was the style the lads are beginning to play that gave us the win. Our tackle completion rates were great and really left the opposition with few chances. We conceded 48 points less than we did in winning Dubai last year. As one of work-ons from last season that was especially pleasing. The attack is also starting to gel as we want and the back-line really fired this weekend to back up the titanic work the forwards are doing.

Enough of patting ourselves on the back though – we all know we can play better and we also know we need to be a consistently winning side.

As I have mentioned, our style is evolving and by no means anywhere near the finished product yet. When you truly can see an England Sevens ‘style’ emerge then we will be part of the way there and there is still a lot going on in training that hasn’t managed to make its way into tournaments yet.

Twinned with so many sides getting better, it’s a hugely competitive HSBC Sevens World Series this year. I loved some of the French attacking play and Fiji also played some sublime stuff so we know there is a lot of work to do.

This week in Port Elizabeth has been all about getting the squad’s energy back up to perform to the same levels as last week. Tournaments take a huge toll on the body and with our third in as many weeks and the enormous amount of travel we have had, it really will be a case of having the mental and physical durability to finish this month away on top form.

By the end of this trip we will have clocked up over 50km in training, over a dozen swim sessions and around eight weights sessions as well as 18 games covering around 40km. That is phenomenal and I’m sure all the sides have similar statistics.

So, sure, we are all looking to having Christmas back at home and a well-earned rest. But before that the only thing on any of our minds this weekend will be to continue our ascent on the field and work our socks off in what is a very, very hard group with Argentina, Samoa and the USA on Friday. Come on England!

You can follow Ben Ryan and the England Sevens team on twitter @benjaminryan

On Friday the HSBC World Series starts up again. Normally we are winging our way to Dubai for the opening leg but this time it’s all the way across the globe to the Gold Coast in Australia.

That, in itself, has made the start harder as we go from there to Dubai and finally Port Elizabeth; three tournaments on the bounce, countless time zones and fair bit of jet lag to deal with. I doubt any international side has had that much travel combined with that much intense competition in four weeks but that’s the challenge all the European sides face in the opening three legs.

This England group has worked really hard to get fit, healthy and robust enough to not only survive but be successful this year in the 54 games we will play in the nine tournaments. There have been some big changes in the players’ diets, sacrifices in their social and personal lives, and generally the bar has been raised.

The same though, is the case all around the world as countries begin to mass before the race to Olympic glory. It’s amazing to see the change in all the teams and sevens is truly unrecognisable from five years ago.

Only a couple of years ago, being the fittest team in the world would have given you a significant edge. Now, everyone understands that this underpins performance and they pretty much do whatever it takes to be fit for purpose.

Performance Analysis has also increased. Teams have dossiers of your players’ strengths and weaknesses and they often centre game-plans around it. But the style of most of the teams hasn’t varied too much in the last few seasons. I won’t bore you with explaining how various sides approach the game but bar a few penalty and set-piece moves and kick-off variations, most teams have a DNA that’s relatively identifiable.

This area of our game has seen the most amount of change this year. In fact, it’s been through a complete overhaul. While retaining our desire to offload and keep well away from multi-phase, multi-ruck attacks, the framework and style is totally different.

The onus for us is having a way of playing that suits the type of players we want in our system; this style, our DNA, is simple but stretches the players skill-sets and decision making.

Why the change? England is into the second year of sevens contracts with 12 full-time players on our books. Now we have more contact time, we can really get to grips with how we want to play and approach sevens.

Often when a team becomes full time the obvious plan of attack for is to thicken their playbook – more time, more organisation and more structure. For us, we have concentrated on our skills and decision-making and threaded all that into the framework for attack and defence.

The onus is put firmly on the players to make decisions and for the framework to offer support and options for them. We want players that have great game understanding to come through our system, not neglect it with the crutch of overly structured moves.

It’s not something that will click overnight, we will need some patience but the potential is really exciting this season.

The one thing I do know will appear immediately is the team’s single-mindedness. I’m very grateful to have a group of players that all feel very fortunate to play for their country.

They give every ounce to the cause from the first to final blow of the whistle and will defend and attack for all they are worth. I can’t ask any more and yet again, as another season looms closer, I’m more excited than ever to lead this group.

Head coach Ben Ryan’s side lead the way going into tomorrow’s Cathay Pacific Credit Suisse Hong Kong Sevens, level on 80 points with New Zealand at the top of the table.

Perform well in Hong Kong and Adelaide the following week, and England will have an advantage when the series arrives in Europe for the Emirates Airline London and Edinburgh tournaments.

Top seeds England face China on Friday, March 25 (09.58 GMT) then take on remaining Pool B opponents Japan (06.10) and the USA (10.34). Six pool winners and the two best runners-up go into Sunday’s cup quarter finals.

More teams compete in Hong Kong than at other tournaments, meaning 30 rather than 24 series points are available for the winners.

“Because of the extra points, the momentum and the confidence you get it’s such an important tournament for whoever wins it,” said Ryan. “We know we can have a minimum five-point lead on New Zealand if we win.

“The way the draw looks, if everyone wins we wouldn’t get to play New Zealand until the final but we can’t take anything for granted. We’ve got a pretty tricky route out of the pool and past series champions Samoa or South Africa, who won the last tournament.

“We’re certainly in a very good position and it puts an added pressure on players because we have to keep delivering as we are starting to run out of runway now.”

Hong Kong’s unique schedule sees England face Pool B opponents China on Friday (09.58 GMT) before taking on Japan (06.10) and the USA (10.34) on Saturday. Topping the group would put England into a cup quarter final against the best of the six group runners-up early on Sunday morning.

“It’s an emotional pool now because of all the horrendous things that have happened in Japan,” said Ryan.

“We have a close affinity with them on and off the field. We feel very sorry for them and they must be going through a huge amount of turmoil.

“We have China on the Friday night and they’re almost the home team so they’ll go all guns blazing to have a crack at us. The Americans are a decent side and will certainly come up with a plan to negate our strengths. We’ve just got to be on the ball. Being clinical and professional is the key to our group.

“We’ve changed things and we’ll have some surprises for the other sides in Hong Kong and they won’t expect some of the things we’re going to do – that’s one of the benefits of being full time. We’ll continue to change things game by game so that people can’t get the upper hand on analysis.”

There is only one change in personnel, though, with Ollie Lindsay-Hague (Harlequins) returning from injury in place Simon Hunt (Birmingham & Solihull), while experienced forward Greg Barden (Royal Navy) and rookie Mark Odejobi (Esher & Brunel University) play in Hong Kong for the first time.

Lindsay-Hague warmed up with Aviva Premiership outings on the wing for Harlequins and is eager to recapture the form that saw him finish as England’s leading try scorer at the Emirates Airline Dubai Sevens at the start of the series.

“Dubai was one of the biggest highs of the season and it was going really well for me before I was injured in South Africa,” said Lindsay-Hague.

“I chipped bones in my foot and sprained an important ligament. I had to be really careful with it and was out for two and a half months.

“Hong Kong last year was my first major tournament and I played every minute. The atmosphere’s incredible, last year will help me and I won’t be as nervous.”

Odejobi was an IRB Junior World Championship finalist on the wing for England U20 in 2008 and made his sevens debut in Las Vegas earlier this year.

The 23-year-old is studying for a Maths and Computing degree at Brunel and will combine revision for exams in May with his rugby programme.

“I can’t wait and I can imagine it’s quite spine tingling,” said Odejobi, who has added up the benefits of switching from backs to forwards in both forms of the game.

“With us going so well this year we can really make a good impression and with it being 30 points rather than 24 for a win that could be a massive boost for the rest of the year.”

“I’ve changed to flanker and I’ve played one game there for Wasps A and one for Esher so far. Playing in the forwards at sevens is pretty similar to playing seven at 15s, so if I do play any more 15s it will be there.”

England squad: Greg Barden (Royal Navy), John Brake England Sevens), Dan Caprice (England Sevens), Chris Cracknell (England Sevens), Ben Gollings (England Sevens), Ollie Lindsay-Hague (Harlequins), Dan Norton (Bristol Rugby), Mark Odejobi (Esher and Brunel Univ), Tom Powell (England Sevens), James Rodwell (England Sevens), Nick Royle (England Sevens), Mathew Turner (England Sevens).

You can watch England Sevens in action on May 21 and 22 at Twickenham Stadium in the Emirates Airline London Sevens, the penultimate leg of the HSBC Sevens World Series. Tickets are available from £15 via rfu.com

They did so after losing on the opening day to Portugal and only rescuing a place in the last eight by beating Fiji with a try from the last play of the game.

England Sevens head coach Ben Ryan:

“We dug ourselves out of a great hole against Fiji and we played really well in the last three games. We all sat down last night and said it wasn’t the case of giving ourselves a pat on the back for beating Fiji. It was a reminder that we had to make the most of our chances and learn from what happened which we did. We can fight with the best of them and the boys proved that. We were relaxed and we were ruthless and it’s a good combination and they managed to hang on to that.

“Ollie Lindsay-Hague was brilliant, wasn’t he? He made a big difference as did Chris Cracknell. He was a rock and made some really good decisions. We’ve got some talented youngsters back home and Ollie played with the real exuberance of youth

“We’ve got to remain pretty humble. We’ve won one tournament at the beginning of the year but everyone will regroup and try and have a crack at us next weekend. The proof will be in how we run out in George next weekend.”

Harlequins’ Ollie Lindsay-Hague, 20, was England’s top try-scorer with five:

“It’s probably one of the best feelings I’ve ever experienced in rugby. Winning that was just incredible. Amazing.

“It’s my first tournament win. The closest I’ve been to that was in Hong Kong last year when we got to the semis and lost to Samoa. Starting all the last four games and playing every minute on the final day is what I’d dreamt of all my life.”

Captain Ben Gollings took his world record sevens points tally to 2,418 in Dubai:

“The boys have been sensational this weekend and you can’t ask for any more from them. It was always going to take one win to help us realise our true potential and hopefully we can really roll on from here.

“I’ve experienced plenty of highs and lows but we really had to look hard at ourselves pretty seriously after the performance against Portugal but at the end of the day the boys did what you have to do in this game and that’s to bounce back positively and make amends.

“We’ve got to stay level headed and we’ve set a platform and set a standard and it’s now not right if we don’t meet that standard. There’s still a lot of work to do but the guys were sensational. The young guys really stepped up: Ollie Lindsay-Hague was brilliant, Dan Caprice brilliant, Dan Norton brilliant, Mat Turner brilliant when he came on, everyone played massive parts.”

Chris Cracknell started all four must-win games against Fiji, Australia, New Zealand and Samoa

“We’ve had a very tough couple of days and after [finishing fourth in the Commonwealth Games at] Delhi to come back from the ups and downs that we’ve had is a fantastic experience

“A lot of people doubted us after the Portugal game and we did make things tough for ourselves but we never gave up and we had that fight within us to keep going and got what we deserved.

“We’ve got a great group of guys who have worked very hard to get where we are now and we can keep building and building. Who knows where this year’s going to take us now? It could be the start of an amazing journey.”

James Rodwell was named Player of the Tournament:

“The whole team has put in a fantastic effort coming back from the loss against Portugal. I can’t put my finger on why that happened. We didn’t start as we wanted to against France and Portugal but we kept our patience today.

“We need to cut out the poor performances and keep our standards high. You can’t look beyond the next tournament or you’ll falter but the boys are full of confidence now and for a lot it’s a first tournament win.

“After the Portugal game we were gutted. We have great support here in the crowd and it’s incredible running out to that reception but we just didn’t do them justice in the France game and the Portugal game.”

Bristol Rugby wing Dan Norton’s long-range finish put England in front in the final’s dying seconds:

“We gradually got better and better throughout the day that was pretty pleasing. We just tried to make ourselves as relaxed as we could. We had been trying to score off first phase and we were hectic and not relaxed, trying to throw the ball around too much.

“We want to be series winners and get from fifth to first in the world and with a bit of luck and when performances go well and we do well as a team we showed what we can do. It’s a good start.

“We now know what it’s like to get to a final and how to play when we get there and we have the winning feeling and that should help us. We knew we had fate in our hands and we hold the key to winning the games.

“It was really hard going but the whole atmosphere that’s involved in Dubai pushes us on further. The support we get here is amazing, it’s one of the best tournaments England can play in and it’s a great feeling to have to have won.”

Simon Hunt (Birmingham Solihull) scored the winning try against Fiji and came off the bench to strike again in the final

“This is my first tournament win and I’ve been in a few. It’s been a really up and down couple of days from the loss we had against Portugal and we picked ourselves up again and again and again.

“All 12 of us have worked really hard. It’s definitely been a 12 man thing and I’m very proud of all the boys. We know how well we can play but it’s brilliant that we have won.

“It makes it worth it. All the fitness tests, the rolling around in the dirt, in all the wind and the rain, and putting the hard yards in is all worthwhile when you win. Life didn’t seem so pretty five minutes after Portugal but if we are going to win the series we’ll have ups and downs and it’s about how we deal with which we’ve done superbly here.”

Harlequins’ Ollie Lindsay-Hague, 20, helped England to victory at the Emirates Airline Dubai Sevens this week in the first event of the HSBC Sevens World Series. Lindsay-Hague finished as England’s top try scorer with five tries as they beat Australia (24-21), New Zealand (19-14) and Samoa (29-21) in the knock-out stages to clinch the title.

Yesterday’s win over Samoa in the final of the Emirates Airline Dubai Sevens is probably one of the best feelings I’ve ever experienced in rugby. Winning that tournament was just incredible.

It’s my first tournament win. The closest I’d been to that was in Hong Kong last year when we got to the semis and lost to Samoa. Starting all the last three knock-out games and playing every minute is what I’d dreamt of all my life.

All our wins were tight ones and when you’re playing teams like Australia and Samoa you’re never going to smash them unless they’re having a bad day or you’re on fire. At the moment the competition’s so tight in sevens but we showed how good we are. We learned from our mistakes, did everything we were told to do and that’s why we won.

I don’t know how I ended up as England’s top try scorer with five because I missed the first two games on Day One but I’m really happy with what I did although there’s stuff I need to work on. I did some wrong things too.

When I got up in the morning I was so confident from minute one that we could win the tournament after we had beaten Fiji the previous night. I knew we were ready and had a feeling all day we were going to win it.

We just clicked as a team, I suppose. When we don’t make mistakes we can be unstoppable sometimes and we’ve just got to keep that going through the year. There’s definitely more to come. We got our heads on straight away ready to fly to George for next weekend’s second tournament, and we’ll make sure we get our recovery done right and go on from there.

All in all I’ve had a great week and an even greater weekend.

England's Tom Varndell in action at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne

England will face Australia in the pool stages of the Rugby Sevens at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi in what coach Ben Ryan describes as “the tastiest match in the qualifying round”. The 2006 silver medallists have been placed in Pool D with the Wallabies, Namibia and Sri Lanka for the tournament that takes place on October 11 and 12 this year. England were beaten 29-21 in the Melbourne final four years ago when New Zealand claimed their third gold medal following their wins at Manchester (2002) and Kuala Lumpur (1998).

“It brings it all to life now the draw has been made and it will concentrate our minds on the task in hand and what we need to do over the two days to finish top of the pile at the Commonwealth Games,” said England Sevens head coach Ryan.

“Over the years we’ve had the upper hand against Australia but this season just gone they’ve put together a side equal to any in the world. The scoreline from the last IRB Sevens World Series reads won two, lost two, drawn one which shows you how tight it’s been. It’s going to be an absolute ding-dong in Delhi and it’s the tastiest match-up in the qualifying round.

“It’s also good to be playing sides we haven’t met before in the pool stages. We’ve never played Namibia before as far as I know and last played Sri Lanka a couple of years ago in Hong Kong.

“One of the most exciting things is being part of a larger Team England. Building relationships, seeking advice and sharing knowledge with other sports is something we’ve been doing for a while and to be able to go to the Commonwealth Games with them all will be a great experience.”

New Zealand are in Pool A, where they will face opening matches against World Series regulars Scotland and Canada as well as Caribbean champions Guyana.

South Africa, the 2002 bronze medallists, head Pool B and face opening ties against Wales, Tonga and the host nation India.

IRB Sevens World Series champions Samoa top Pool C and take on Kenya, Uganda and Papua New Guinea.

England will announce their training squad for the Commonwealth Games later this month.

Commonwealth Games Rugby Sevens, October 11-12

• Pool A: New Zealand, Scotland, Canada, Guyana
• Pool B: South Africa, Wales, Tonga, India
• Pool C: Samoa, Kenya, Uganda, Papua New Guinea
• Pool D: England, Australia, Namibia, Sri Lanka

Ben Gollings in fine form for England Sevens

England beat South Africa 21-7 to win the plate at the Emirates Airline South Africa Sevens.

It was only the second time England had beaten the Boks in sevens on South African soil in what was a hyper-competitive plate competition.

England had to bounce back from their cup loss against winners New Zealand to beat Australia 24-5 in the plate semi final.

The last time an England side had beaten a South Africa side on their home patch was in 2003, but with Christian Wade (London Wasps), Worcester’s Jake Abbott, Ben Gollings (Gold Coast) and Isoa Damudamu (British Army) in inspired form Ben Ryan’s side ground out an impressive win, the biggest defeat Paul Treu’s side had faced in 80 matches.

England add 12 points to their World Series tally which puts them in third place behind Fiji and New Zealand respectively after reaching the Dubai cup semi final earlier this month.

England: Jake Abbott (Worcester Warriors), Kevin Barrett (capt, Saracens), Chris Brightwell (Birmingham & Solihull), Dan Caprice (Blackheath RFC), Chris Cracknell (Unattached), Isoa Damudamu (British Army), Ben Gollings (Gold Coast, Australia), Dan Norton (Bristol Rugby), James Rodwell (Moseley RFC), Nick Royle (Fylde RFC), Matt Turner (Bristol Rugby), Christian Wade (London Wasps)

England Sevens Emirates Airline South Africa Sevens results:

• December 11, England 42-0 Tunisia
• December 11, England 17-7 Argentina
• December 11, Scotland 19-29 England
• December 12, cup quarter final England 19-22 New Zealand
• December 12, plate semi final England 24-5 Australia
• December 12, plate final England 21-7 South Africa