Mitchell leads England trip to Vegas
Mike Ellery is back in action for England at the fourth leg of the IRB Sevens World Series in Las Vegas later this month.
The giant Cumbrian has recovered from a quadriceps injury and returns along with experienced forward Chris Cracknell and flyhalf Christian Lewis-Pratt in the 12-man squad – which will be led for the first time by versatile back Tom Mitchell.
England – fourth in the overall Series rankings – face Samoa, Portugal and Uruguay in the pool stages at the Sam Boyd Stadium from January 24 to 26.
Head coach Simon Amor will then reassess his resources for England's title defence at the Wellington Sevens in New Zealand.
"It's great to see Mike Ellery back after he stood out in Dubai," said Amor.
"We're working on establishing our style of play and getting the balance right and I'm confident all the players coming in will do well.
"Tom Mitchell gets his first opportunity to be captain and it's a big honour for him. We want to develop our leadership group going forward. Tom Powell did a great job for us in the last two legs and will continue to be a big influence."
England: Dan Bibby, Phil Burgess, Chris Cracknell, Mike Ellery, Alex Gray, Christian Lewis-Pratt, Tom Mitchell (captain), Dan Norton, Tom Powell, James Rodwell, Marcus Watson, Jeff Williams.
