Woodward backs Honk Kong participation
January 29, 2000

The Rugby Football Union have reached agreement with clubs to support the world game's leading sevens event, which takes place from March 24-26.

Subject to contract, a 12-man squad will represent England in Hong Kong, a competition that is part of the International Rugby Board's Grand Prix series.

"I am a big supporter of sevens rugby, and I believe that our participation in tournaments should not have been allowed to lapse," said national coach Clive Woodward, reflecting on England's absence from leading tournaments over the past few years.

"Sevens will play a major role in developing our players. I am now able to select one player from each Allied Dunbar Premiership club, and the squad and three-man management team will be announced in due course."

The Hong Kong weekend clashes with a Premiership programme, but an even distribution of players for the England sevens squad has been agreed.

"Club England and English Rugby Partnership supports, in principle, the IRB Grand Prix Sevens, subject to receiving more information on the tournament's commercial framework," said Club England chairman Fran Cotton.

"The RFU believes that the England sevens squad is the second most important representative side in the Union, and that its players will learn from the experience of playing in the Grand Prix."

England will find themselves up against world sevens kings Fiji and a brilliant New Zealand squad, so it promises to be more of a learning experience than anything else.

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