In the final leg of the HSBC series in Singapore, GB 7s finished eighth on 39 points, 27 points behind Ireland in seventh place. The winners, New Zealand, finished two points ahead of Australia on 126. France were third on 104, USA fourth on 85.
I detail these positions to help point out Great Britain’s chances of gaining a long sought after Olympic medal. Twice they have finished fourth, but since Tokyo have struggled to get above sixth place in world standings.
Eighth place at least qualifies them for the Grand Final in Madrid (31 May – 2 June).
Can they make a late run for the Olympic podium?
One major reason for their recent struggles has been the lack of English input. That goes back to the RFU’s widely condemned decision to remove their 7s contracts. That decision was not matched by other leading nations. Indeed, you may argue that it is a central reason for the Red Roses’ advance to the top of the 15s tree.
They gained or regained a host of outstanding players: Alex Matthews, Jess Breach, Ellie Kildunne, Emily Scarratt, Holly Aitchison, Meg Jones and Mo Hunt, to name but seven. Of these only Jones made clear she would return to the 7s fold as soon as the recent Six Nations championship was over. But now Kildunne has indicated a wish to be reconsidered, and there may well be others of a like mind.
If that unknown number of England converts did apply for a GB shirt, would they: 1) all be given the chance to prove themselves? 2) be welcomed with open arms, no questions asked? 3) find their Sevens feet again quickly enough to convince the management? 4) make enough difference to give GB an outside chance of a medal?
It’s possible the GB 7s management would look kindly on such moves. Over the past two or three years the make-up of the squad has altered just as often and abruptly as it did in plain old England 7s days.
At the Rio Olympics the only non-English player to be selected was Jasmine Joyce of Wales. Her modest performances in the 6N this year left you wondering if her mind wasn’t set at least 50% on the Paris Olympics.
GB’s latest squad at the Singapore Sevens was:
Amy Wilson Hardy, Ellie Boatman, Emma Uren, Grace Crompton, Heather Cowell, Isla Norman- Bell, Jade Shekels, Jasmine Joyce, Kayleigh Powell, Lauren Torley, Lisa Thomson, Rhona Lloyd and Shona Campbell.
That meant: three Scots, two Welsh and eight English.
As I write (5 May), there are 26 days to the start of the Madrid event. It would be fascinating to know the management’s thinking about the alternative policies available. Are they quite open to flexibility, radical changes in team selections; or do they prefer the idea of a highly experienced core group, familiar with each other’s playing style?
The modest results in this season’s World Series should make them think about a last-minute overhaul.
The quality of the opposition needs no underlining. The three squads now in medal-winning position, the Black Ferns, the Wallaroos and les Bleues, are match hardened and highly unlikely to grow more vulnerable, come the Paris Olympics. The French, the closest to vulnerability, would have the great advantage of home support.
The Management
One of the great oddities of the England 7s set-up has been the speed with which the coaching staff has changed. Charlie Hayter, now Director of England Women’s rugby, is a case in point. For eighteen months (2019-20) he was Head of England Women’s Sevens. For fifteen months (2020-22) he was Team Leader and Assistant Coach of England Women’s Sevens. For eighteen months (2022-23) he was Women’s and Sevens Performance Manager. Note in particular the strange combination of briefs in these last two posts.
At the same time GB Sevens was having to sort out who should be in charge for the 4-year Olympic cycle. In 2019 Scott Forrest was named head coach for Tokyo. He already had seven years experience of coaching with the Scottish women’s Sevens programme. Nick Wakley of Wales took over for the 2023 World Rugby Series.
But at the same time Ciaran Beattie of Scotland became programme lead for the men’s and women’s teams. Just to stir the pot a few more times, Beattie also became men’s assistant sevens coach, while another Scot, Robbie Fergusson, was to combine playing (he is still the GB men’s captain) with skills coaching with men’s and women’s teams.
A few tricky lines of authority to follow here!
Decisions now
As of 2024 Beattie is the man in charge. So it will presumably be his final call in deciding the fate of any newcomers to the group.
As we glance at the so-called ‘core’ GB squad for the 2023 World Series – Ellie Boatman, Abbie Brown, Heather Cowell, Megan Jones, Alicia Maude, Isla Norman-Bell, Celia Quansah, Jade Shekels and Emma Uren – we can spot a number of very familiar names, and they are all England-qualified.
I suspect that most people imagining a perfect Olympic squad would happily add some, if not all, of the names I listed in para. 6 above.
