Thursday 14 April 2016 12:43, UK
James Rodwell will captain England this weekend in the Singapore sevens and set a new record for consecutive tournaments played on the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series circuit.
The 31-year-old will partake in his 69th consecutive tournament and will surpass the current record of 68 held by South Africa's Frankie Horne.
"James will set an incredible record that can't be broken when you consider the intensity of the game now," said England's head coach Simon Amor.
"To go 69 tournaments back to back is phenomenal. Most players can't string together a handful on the bounce and for him to reach that number, especially as a forward with an aggressive style of play, shows just how durable he is. He really is a superstar. "
"He is incredibly professional, as you must be to play this game, especially for as long and consistently as he has. What is also impressive is his desire to continue developing. He is the senior member of the programme but is still improving and has more years in him. It will be exciting to see how much better he can become as his experience continues to be so important for the young guys and their personal development."
Simon Amor makes two changes to the squad that won the plate final last week in Hong Kong with John Brake and Sam Egerton, who will earn his first cap for England Sevens, coming in for Phil Burgess and Tom Mitchell.
As the World Series heads to Singapore for the first time, England sit seventh in the World Series standings. After winning their 16th title in Hong Kong, defending series champions Fiji lead the way with a five-point advantage over second-placed New Zealand. South Africa are just a single point behind them and Australia complete the top four.
In Singapore, England are drawn in Pool A alongside Portugal, Samoa and Fiji and will open the eighth round of this 10-stop sevens world series against Portugal.
England Sevens Squad: Tom Bowen, John Brake, Cameron Cowell, Richard de Carpentier, Sam Egerton, Charlie Hayter, Oskar Hirskyj-Douglas, Warwick Lahmert, Ollie Lindsay-Hague, Ruaridh McConnochie, Dan Norton, James Rodwell (c)
Watch the HSBC World Sevens Series in Singapore live on Sky Sports 4 from 2.50am this Saturday. Catch all of the action for £6.99 with a NOW TV day pass.
