Great Britain Rugby Sevens have announced their squads for the upcoming HSBC World SVNS Series, which kicks off in Dubai on Saturday 30th November.
Following preparation at their training base at the Hazelwood Centre in Sunbury-on-Thames, the men’s and women’s squads are primed for action and raring to go.
Excitement is high in both camps, with the women’s team’s working well under new head coach Giselle Mather.
The former Wasps and Trailfinders director of rugby has appointed Olympian Emma Uren as her captain, with Isla Norman- Bell named vice-captain.
Meanwhile, Ethan Waddleton will lead Tony Roques’ men’s team, with Tom Emery as vice-captain and Kaleem Baretto named as club captain after suffering an injury that will see him miss the majority of the season.
The two Great Britain squads in full are as follows:
GB7s Women
Emma Uren (C), Isla Norman-Bell (VC), Ellie Boatman, Reneeqa Bonner, Abbie Brown, Shona Campbell, Heather Cowell, Grace Crompton, Meg Davies, Eloise Hayward, Vicky Laflin, Georgie Lingham, Alicia Maude, Chantelle Miell, Emma Mundy, Catherine Richards, Jade Shekells, Katie Shillaker, Lauren Torley, Charlie Woodman, Amy Wilson-Hardy.
GB7s Men
Kaleem Barreto (Club Captain), Ethan Waddleton (C), Tom Emery (VC), Ryan Apps, Jamie Barden, Api Bavadra, Tom Burton, Callum Carson, Matt Davidson, Ollie Dawkins, Harry Glover, Will Homer, Sunnie Jardine, Charlton Kerr, Marcus Kershaw, Luke Mehson, James Pavey, Freddie Roddick, Harri Williams, Morgan Williams, Tom Williams.
GB7s director of rugby, Ciaran Beattie, is understandably excited for the start of the new season, saying:
“Like all international squads competing in the HSBC World SVNS Series, we are looking forward to the start at the highly anticipated Emirates Dubai 7s.
Following the world-record crowds in the recent Paris Olympic Games, we are keen to add to the spectacle and highly competitive nature that is the World SVNS Series.
A new series and fine competition, with new faces as well as established stars, makes for intriguing and highly compelling watching.
We know from inside the GB7s camp that both the women’s and men’s squads are eager to get off to good starts in the Dubai and Cape Town tournaments.
These are exciting times for everyone involved in GB7s and my congratulations to go to everyone selected in the squads and those named as captains.”
The move to Hazelwood has come as part of a wider rebrand for GB7s, whose new kit and new logo will be unveiled ahead of the Dubai tournament at the end of the month.
The impact of a settled base could not be overstated by performance director Joe Lydon, who said: “Securing Hazelwood as our training ground for the season is a big step forward for the squads.
It will provide us with the security and stability of a home base, ensuring that we have the best possible preparation this season.
More widely it signals a new era for GB7s. With an experienced leadership team and a great line-up of talent, we are excited about what the future holds.”
The gains in preparation have only been possible thanks to the support of GB7s’ sponsors, Titan Wealth, ActiveOps, Coca Cola Zero and growth consultancy Champions UK plc.
Jo Plinston, head of partnerships and events at lead sponsor Titan Wealth, said:
“We see so much potential in the sport of sevens rugby and it is great that we can be on the journey alongside GB7s.
We’ll be out in Dubai showing our support in person, and we wish both teams the very best of luck this season.”
12 men’s and women’s teams from across the globe compete in the HSBC World SVNS Series commencing in Dubai on Saturday 30th November.
The GB7s squads will also head to Cape Town, Perth, Vancouver, Hong Kong, Singapore and Los Angeles throughout the season as the sport builds on a record-breaking Olympic Games in Paris, which saw 530,000 fans attend matches and tens of millions more watch on TV.
ENDS
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