England Sevens call on Mitchell, Brake
England Sevens have called up uncapped Oxford student Tom Mitchell and fit-again John Brake for the upcoming IRB Sevens World Series tournaments in Wellington (February 3-4) and Las Vegas (February 10-12).
Midfield back Mitchell, 22, is a former England Students captain who scored the final try in the 28-10 win against Cambridge in this season’s Varsity Match.
Scrumhalf Brake is back in action after recovering from the broken finger that ruled him out of the Dubai and South Africa legs in December.
The players standing down from England’s last outing in Port Elizabeth are wing Nick Royle and hooker Simon Hunt, where former Sale Sharks flank Chris Brightwell also featured.
England are just four points off the top of the table behind Fiji, New Zealand and South Africa after the opening three rounds which included their tournament win in Dubai.
“After the Varsity Match we wanted him to come in and measure himself against everyone else and he’s surprised himself and everyone else in the way he’s understood things,” said Ryan.
“He’s a bright bloke who can play in a number of positions. He’s very quick and has good game understanding and the fact that he’s forced his way into a squad that doesn’t have any injuries and has won a title this season shows that we’re in a position of strength.”
Speaking about Brake’s return, Ryan added: “It’s good to be able to welcome back John. We’re in good shape going to what’s been a happy hunting ground for us in recent years at Wellington.”
England claimed one of their greatest ever victories at the Westpac Stadium in 2009 – when Isoa Damudamu’s try and a Ben Gollings conversion saw them come back from 19-0 down to beat hosts New Zealand and take the title – and they also reached the final there last season.
The squad, which departs for New Zealand next Tuesday, includes nine of England’s 12 full-time contracted Sevens players.
England Sevens squad: Greg Barden (captain), John Brake, Chris Cracknell, Isoa Damudamu (British Army), Christian Lewis-Pratt, Tom Mitchell (Oxford University), Dan Norton, Tom Powell, James Rodwell, Mathew Turner, Rob Vickerman, Marcus Watson (Saracens).
