RIO 2016: Ryan backs players to win Rugby Sevens gold

By Paul Eddison, Sportsbeat

THE EYES of the world are on London as the Olympics kick off with Friday's opening ceremony but England Rugby Sevens head coach Ben Ryan is already looking forward to Rio 2016.

FUTURE: England Sevens coach Ben Ryan believes players are chasing gold instead of
Premiership contracts after Rugby Union's inclusion at Rio 2016

Along with golf, rugby sevens will be added to the Olympic programme in Brazil - a move which has already had an impact on the shorter form of the game, according to Ryan.

With the carrot of an Olympic gold in Rio de Janeiro on offer England stars Mat Turner and Dan Norton have turned down lucrative Premiership contracts to remain in sevens and Ryan expects more players to follow their lead.

"There will be more interest in players wanting to play 7s with the Olympics in four years' time," he said, speaking at the second leg of the J.P. Morgan Asset Management Premiership Rugby 7s Series in Sale.

"There's been interest from teams in a couple of guys playing for England 7s who have been offered Premiership contracts and they've said ‘I'm on a road that will end in Rio in four years' time' and turned them down.

"Guys like Mat Turner, who is outstanding and the top try-scorer in the world this year, and Dan Norton, who was second, both got offered Premiership contracts last year from different clubs to the ones they were originally from and opted to stay with us.

"You've only got to look at the Fijian team which finished one place above us and it's pretty much been dismantled and the players have found their way to Stade Francais, Biarritz, Exeter and other English clubs. Obviously the guys running the clubs are seeing that 7s players can make the grade."

Ryan isn't just talking about current sevens stars when he looks to 2016, with up-and-coming talent also picked out as players who could put XVs on the backburner.

The first of that new crop is teenager James Lightfoot-Brown, a scrum-half who will join the England set-up for the new season.

Ryan explained: "We've signed James from Exeter and he's only 18. He's signed a two-year deal with us, he might finish that and be only 20.

"He captained the England team which won the Commonwealth Youth Games. He's going to get a lot of rugby in the next two years, it may be in sevens but at least it's a lot of rugby involving skill development and making decisions and as a half-back that's great.

"The top five England scrum-halves currently in the senior set up all played England 7s and if you ask anyone who's played the game I think they'll say it was hugely important in their personal development and in preparing players for international rugby."

To buy tickets for the J.P. Morgan Asset Management Premiership Rugby 7s Series visit: www.jpmorgan7s.com or call 08448 472 492

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