England women finish 3rd at Rugby Europe Grand Prix 7s

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England Women, playing as GB Lions, finished third in the Rugby Europe Grand Prix Sevens Series in Malemort, France on Sunday.

GB Lions turned around a pool defeat against Ireland in the final game to win 12-5 with tries from Lotte Clapp and Abbie Brown, which were both converted by Katy Mclean.

They opened the second day against Wales, playing as the GB Royals, with a 14-5 win. Tries from Katie Mason in the first half and Millie Wood in the second, secured England a spot in the semi-final against hosts France.

France edged ahead to lead 7–17 by half time, using the space to capitalise on any handling errors made by the new England side.

However, a quick second half try from Abbie Brown was followed up by Millie Wood who made the most of a turnover break from Lotte Clapp. England led the hosts 19 – 17 but with just three seconds left on the clock, France scored to secure their place in the Cup final.

Yesterday, GB Lions finished runners-up in their pool having beaten Belgium and Italy but lost to Ireland.

Head coach Simon Middleton said: “This is a group that wants to be defined by their ability to compete hard in every game, to be competitive, and have a desire to win whatever it takes.

“They made a pretty good start in this competition, coming out on day two having taken on board everything we discussed last night.

“We are at the start of what will be a very steep learning curve and this tournament was the first examination of their ability to learn and adapt quickly.

“That’s exactly what they did today matching their day one attitude with their execution. This was a great credit to their resilience, which is one of the most critical factors in sevens.”

Malemort is the second of two legs for the Rugby Europe Grand Prix Sevens Series, with the first having taken place in Kazan, Russia, on 11-12 June where GB Lions also finished third.

Third place result

GB Lions 12 – 5 Ireland
Tries: Brown, Clapp
Conversions: Mclean (2)

Semi-final result

GB Lions 19 – 22 France
Tries: Brennan, Brown, Wood
Conversions: Mclean (2)

Quarter-final result

GB Lions 14 – 5 GB Royals
Tries: Mason, Wood
Conversions: Cattell (2)

Pool Games

GB Lions 21 – 12 Belgium
Tries: Brennan, Smith, Cattell
Conversions: Cattell (3)

GB Lions 14 – 12 Italy
Tries: Fleming (2)
Conversions: Cattell (2)

GB Lions 5 – 27 Ireland
Tries: Smith

Report courtesy of England Rugby