Amor 'excited' for Exeter
Pictures: Getty ImagesBy Mark Stevens
England Sevens coach Simon Amor says he and his squad will be looking to make the most of home advantage when they feature in the final round of this season's European Grand Prix Sevens Series.
With England set to head to Moscow this weekend (June 6-7) then Lyon a week later, Amor's side will return to home shores for the final leg, which will take place at Exeter's Sandy Park over the weekend of July 11-12.
Having finished the World Series strongly reaching the semi-finals of the London Sevens at a packed Twickenham, Amor is hoping for an equally strong showing against the likes of Russia, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Italy and France.
"We've got Moscow and Lyon coming up shortly, so a lot of the guys who played in the World Series will get a bit of a break," said Amor. "But at the same time, that will give us an opportunity to throw a few of the younger guys and some of the younger management into the action.
"Then in the second week of July we've got the Exeter Sevens, so that will be a really exciting tournament. We will have all of our best guys up and running for that and we'll give it a real good go."Certainly Amor has seen plenty of positives from his squad over the course of the World Series to give him confidence ahead of the European battle.
Reflecting on the season to date, Amor added: "We're really encouraged moving forward. It was tough at the start as we picked up a few injuries and our resources were stretched, but the way the guys have grown has been outstanding.
"The mental strength they've shown has been key. We got the win in Tokyo, got to the final in Wellington and then finished with a third and fourth, so I'm very proud of the team."
England have shown they can compete with the very best this term, but Amor insists his team have to keep working hard as the standard of competition is rising all the time.
"It's just so competitive these days," continued Amor. "The standard these days is outstanding, so it makes it tough for as coaches because we want to win every game. For the neutral, though, they must absolutely love it!"
Tickets for the Exeter leg are priced at £15 for a day pass for Saturday or Sunday, or £25 for a weekend pass which includes entry to the Friday night event. Children’s tickets are also available £7.50 per day or £10 for a weekend pass.