News - 2010

Consistency is key to improved England performance

November 28, 2010

Dubai - Just one of the 12 members of the England squad has never been to Dubai before. And it's this consistency in team composition that coach Ben Ryan believes is key to his side putting in a good performance at the Emirates Airline Dubai Rugby Sevens.

"We've got the core remaining so the guys you can build a team around - Ben Gollings, Isoa Damudamu, Dan Caprice are there and the biggest thing for us is that we've managed to keep the side that finished the last series in Edinburgh intact," said Ryan.

"This squad will go through the World Series together. There's only one out of the 12 who are going to Dubai this year who haven't been there before in Tom Powell, while Ollie Lindsay-Hague played in the invitation tournament. We've got consistency there and that's one of the key ingredients in international sport to doing well," added the coach.

The England team were disappointed to lose out to Samoa in the semifinal in Dubai last year. And it's been five years since they had their hands on the Dubai trophy, but Ryan is determined to put in a good performance this year.

"The preparation is probably better than we have had for a long time. We've got eight full-time contracted players now who we can see on a weekly basis. That means we've had a lot of contact time in the last three to four months. I'm sure the other teams will have had similar experiences but we're in a good place," he said.

England have been drawn in the same pool as former world champions Fiji, Portugal and France and will play their first match at 9.42am against France on December 3.

Asked how confident they are going into the Dubai tournament, Ryan said: "There's always the unknown. There are teams I have no idea about and that happens every year in Sevens. Argentina, America, Fiji - I haven't seen play and they're always dark horses who will spring one or two surprises. You can add Russia into that bracket too."

As for the other teams in the mix, Ryan added: "The main teams, Australia, New Zealand and Samoa, will have had a lot of changes recently so it'll be interesting to see what they're about. With the coaches that they have, they will want to hit the ground running. The quality's gone up across the board but I believe we'll definitely improve on last year and improve on our fifth place in the Series."

Ryan is relishing the prospect of returning to Dubai for the start of the eight-leg HSBC Sevens World Series.

"There are two reasons why Dubai is so special. First, it's the start of the series and everyone goes in there with high spirits and the promise that anything can happen. Anyone who starts well in Dubai is generally in the mix for the World Series title. There's a pretty high correlation between being a finalist in Dubai and winning the World Series. That was backed up this year with Samoa and New Zealand last year, who finished No.1 and No.2 in the Series.

"The second thing is that for England the support is perhaps more vocal than anywhere else in the world and we love that - it's great - particularly later in the day when the atmosphere really builds and builds. It's great to have 40,000 people there and it feels like they're all behind England," added Ryan.

Tickets to the December 2-4 tournament are still available online through www.dubairugby7s.com and by calling Ticketline on 800 4669 (international clients can call +971 4 4443459).

Other outlets where tickets are available are:

  • Costa outlets: Mall of the Emirates, JBR, Dubai Mall (Galleria & Ice Rink), Mirdif City Centre, Arabian Ranches, Festival City (Atrium & Square), Al Wahda Mall (Abu Dhabi)

  • MMI outlets*: Mall of the Emirates, Ibn Battuta Mall, Al Wasl Rd, Sheikh Zayed Rd, Motor City, Al Hamra Cellar (RAK)

  • Virgin Megastore: Abu Dhabi Mall, Mercato Mall, Burjuman, Deira City Centre, Mirdif City Centre, Mall of the Emirates, Jumeirah Beach Residence.

  • Spinneys: Umm Suqeim

  • Emirates headquarters

  • Dnata Travel Centre on Sheikh Zayed Rd

  • The Sevens

  • ITP Publishing Group Building (Building Number 14), Dubai Media City

  • Sharjah Wanderers Sports Club

  • Palm Sports Resort Al Ain

*Remember you must have an alcohol licence to enter any MMI outlet

Children under 12 gain free admission to the general public area and there is a special family stand available, with plenty of exciting activities to keep children entertained in the Rugby Village.

A free bus service will be transporting fans from 7he Sevens back to several convenient locations across Dubai. Starting from 5pm on Thursday, 2 December and 7pm on Friday, 3 December and Saturday, 4 December, the drop-off points are: Dubai Festival City, Dubai Media City (family drop-off points), Barzar (Madinat Jumeirah), Double Decker, Irish Village, Chi @ The Lodge, McGettigans Irish Pub (JLT) and Barasti.