European GP Sevens schedule confirmed
By Mark Stevens
Excitement is mounting by the day as Exeter's Sandy Park Stadium prepares to welcome 12 of Europe's top teams to Devon for the final round of this season's European Grand Prix Sevens Series.
Having already competed in both Moscow and Lyon, it's France who head the way in the quest to become this season's European champions.
Success for Les Bleus on home soil last time out has seen them move six points clear of Spain at the top of the standings and keeps them firmly on course to qualify for next year's Olympic Games in Rio De Janiero.
Like the French, Spain harbour hopes of taking the title and qualifying for the Olympics and they will head into the July 11/12 weekend determined to put on a show with the likes of Russia and Simon Amor's England side hot on their heels.
Today, officials have released the schedule for the upcoming Exeter event, which will welcome some of the most talented sevens players in the Northern Hemisphere.
And one man looking forward to heading for Sandy Park - home of the Exeter Chiefs - is England coach Amor, who said: “I’m really pleased with how the new guys have progressed throughout the tournament. It sets them up well as to how that group of young players can develop throughout the year.
"We will be taking a very experienced team to Exeter – it is our home tournament and we will do everything we can to win it.
“Our experienced guys needed a break after the World Series and having had a few weeks off they will have recharged their batteries. They will go into that tournament without any competitive game time under their belts but it will be a good challenge and be great to get some of those experienced heads back in.
“The ideal way to progress a group of young players is to partner them up with experienced guys as well. We were able to do that in Moscow with Phil Burgess and Warwick Lahmert. A number of the younger guys have done well these last three weeks and have staked a claim for a place in Exeter.
“The European tournaments are a good standard and the best below the world series so we are very lucky to be able to give these players the opportunity to learn and develop at these tournaments. The experience these guys are getting now is invaluable and it is more than likely they will be playing on the World Series next season. To be able to play them at the European level is brilliant as it provides that stepping stone.”
Alongside the top four of France, Spain, Russia and England, other countries heading for the Westcountry will be Germany, Portugal, Belgium, Wales, Lithuania, Georgia, Italy and Romania.
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