Head of England Sevens Simon Amor says he is encouraged by England’s men in the wake of their second place finish at the World Cup Sevens in San Francisco last weekend.
Amor’s side were beaten 33-12 by the All Blacks in Sunday’s gold medal match, but showed tremendous resilience throughout the competition – knocking out hosts USA at the quarter-final stage in extra time, before a 29-7 win over HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series champs South Africa in the semis.
“I’m delighted with the way the guys performed right the way through the tournament and came through some really close games and played some outstanding rugby,” said Amor.
“This marks the end of a very long year but I’m really pleased with the way we’ve grown as a programme and how the players have grown as well.
“Since the Commonwealth Games we’ve medalled at every tournament bar one, and alongside that we’ve got some really exciting young talent coming into the squad, so that’s really encouraging as we look ahead to next season.”
Despite finishing fifth in the World Series earlier this year, England strung together some fine performances toward the end of their season, clinching silver in Paris, bronze in Marcoussis and gold in Exeter.
Amor highlighted a high error count as one of the reasons for the loss to New Zealand in San Francisco, but believes his side adjusted well to the altered format of the tournament.
“The unique format makes it high-pressured with lots of drama which is great for all those fans watching,” he added.
“As a result you have to approach the competition in a different way, and I’m really pleased with the way that the guys adapted to this new knockout competition.
“Playing in a new city and new venue has been brilliant – the atmosphere in the stadium has been unbelievable right the way through the tournament, and we’re really grateful for all those who supported us.”