'England have it all to play for' insists Bibby

England Sevens may have already earned Team GB qualification for the Rio Olympics next summer but Wigan's Dan Bibby insists the side still have it all to play for.

The 24-year-old and his England team-mates booked Team GB a spot on the flight to Brazil next year thanks to a fourth-place finish in the Sevens World Series.

That was sealed at the home of English rugby, Twickenham, in the final leg of the season last month, in front of a sold-out crowd of 80,000.

But now with the European Sevens series in full swing, and England's home leg in Exeter looming on July 11-12, Bibby is adamant the side cannot afford to let their standards slip on the road to Rio.

"It will be a tournament that is really keenly contested," said the fly-half. "You’ve got France and Spain who are really fighting for the top position to qualify for the Olympics themselves, and whoever wins out of those two, it will be a good match.

"Sevens is now a lot more in the limelight and there is a lot of focus on next year. It is really exciting and it’s only going to be good for the game. A lot more young boys are now coming through the system and really enjoying sevens, and a lot more money is being invested to get people playing.

"I can’t wait to get out and play at the Exeter Sevens, as getting the home crowd at Twickenham was incredible earlier this year. That atmosphere made the hairs on the back of your neck stand up when you ran out, and it took a few minutes just to focus on the game! We were so proud to qualify for the Olympics there.

"And now Exeter is our home tournament again. I’ve never been there before, but I love watching the Chiefs on the TV as they always get an amazing crowd. I hope we can put on a show for them."

Having begun his journey with the England Sevens side back in 2012, Bibby is now a veteran member of the squad with 21 World Series events to his name already.

And despite missing three legs of this season's campaign with a dislocated elbow, Bibby returned in style with three tries in Glasgow at the penultimate event before adding another two at Twickenham.

But the European series so far has been dominated by new faces in the England line-up, coach Simon Amor testing ten uncapped players in the opening two rounds, and Bibby is excited to see what the youngsters can bring to the table at Sandy Park.

He added: "While a few of the boys have enjoyed a nice holiday, some of the newer guys have been putting on some really hard graft in Moscow and Lyon.

"They’ve had two tournaments and have done really well. Everyone is very impressed given how young some of them are – only 19 or 20 – so it’s great to see them come in and the level of skill on show.

"Boys like Josh Watkins, Sam Edgerton, people like that, are really stepping up and showing what they’ve got.

"The European series is a great stage to get some experience of what sevens rugby is about. You play some really good teams like France and Portugal, who also play on the World Series.

"It’s always good to play with the young fresh lads that really want to show what they can do and where they want to go with the programme. They are always really keen and it’s nice sometimes to just sit back and watch them do the work!"

The Rugby Europe Seven at Sandy Park, catch them if you can! July 11 & 12. Tickets available by clicking here