England came back from being 21-12 down to beat Samoa 29-21 in the Dubai Sevens final on Saturday, claiming the tournament win over the reigning champions and picking up their first tournament win in Dubai since 2005.
The England side suffered an early setback when Portugal beat them in what was one of the biggest upsets seen on the Sevens circuit in years. A switch to the maligned orange jersey seemed to kick them into gear and things went right from there on, even if the results were tight.
A narrow win over Fiji and then similar wins over Australia in the quarters, and New Zealand in the semis meant that England progressed to the final to put their Commonwealth Games disappointment behind them.
“A couple of the senior management were here from Twickenham. Hopefully we have converted them. Maybe the worm has turned for England sevens and you will see a new chapter. This is a pretty exciting time for all of us,” said coach Ben Ryan.
“Hopefully we can stir the England Sevens beast to be a pretty powerful weapon over the years for England rugby.”
In the final young Harlequins scrumhalf Oliver Lindsay-Hague scored twice with Simon Hunt, Dan Norton, and Mat Turner also crossing for important tries.
“We bounced back well and I couldn’t be more proud of the boys,” said England captain and Sevens veteran, Ben Gollings.
This video gives a nice summary of the games leading to the final, and the main match itself.
Time:
06:39
Note:
With thanks to the IRB
Sign In