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Captain Tom Mitchell leads from the front against New Zealand (Photo: Getty Images)



England beat New Zealand 15-12 in front of a record breaking crowd of 74,969 in the final match on day one of Marriott London Sevens.

Determined to make their home crowd proud, England put in a determined performance but it came down to the final kick of the game, captain Tom Mitchell slotting a penalty in extra time.

England top Pool A having beaten Wales (14-10) and Argentina (31-5) earlier in the day and now play France tomorrow at 10.28am. New Zealand, HSBC Sevens World Series leaders, take on second placed South Africa in their quarter final (11.12am).

Head Coach Simon Amor said: “The crowd was absolutely incredible. I’ve never seen a sevens game like that, with ‘Swing Low, Sweet Chariot’ being sung around the ground with two minutes to go against New Zealand. That lifted the team at a critical moment and I’m really glad the players made that connection with the crowd and they responded to the players in turn.

“It’s was a very tough start to the day, taking on Wales front of so many people and we didn’t perform well. To be honest, we tried too hard. The guys really wanted to play well and do the shirt proud in front of their family and friends but they didn’t quite get it right and made some bad decisions but were better against Argentina.

“I’m so proud of the character the players showed throughout today and the heart they demonstrated against this world class New Zealand team. They have worked very hard over the past few weeks and it paid off. It was pleasing, but this is day one – nothing’s won on day one and we’ve got a massive game against France tomorrow.”

New Zealand took a 7-0 lead after three minutes through Gilles Kaka despite England’s aggressive defence and breakdown play. The home side continued their intensive work rate and, having gained good field position from a Dan Norton break, moved the ball wide to Tom Powell who scored just as the half time whistle went, making it 7-5.

After receiving the kick off, Mitchell burst through a gap in the New Zealand defence and accelerated down field showing that England were still playing with intent. Cynical play from Tim Mikkelson followed and New Zealand were reduced to six men.

Demonstrating why he has been nominated for IRB Sevens World Player, Mitchell chipped the penalty over the black wall of defence and re-gathered to touch down. His conversion took England into the lead 12-5. With four minutes still to play, a Bryce Heem try levelled the scores at 12-12.

The tension and the pace of the match left the crowd and players breathless but when the thousands erupted into a rendition of Swing Low, England were lifted and worked upfield to earn the crucial penalty.

Earlier in the day, however, nerves seemed to get the better of England and in a scrappy first half Wales took a 5-0 lead.

A James Rodwell score eventually gave England momentum and Mitchell converted before adding a further seven points. Will Thomas scored a deserved consolation try for Wales in the final play.

Having made a number of big hits, Chris Cracknell set up Marcus Watson for England’s first against Argentina but again they struggled to assert their authority on the game and the Pumas reduced the deficit, 7-5.

After the break the crowd began to sing and England found their rhythm. Dan Norton showcased incredible footwork as he weaved his way through the Argentinean defence and over the try line before effortless interlinking play between Watson, Mitchell and Norton, set the winger up for his second.

Phil Burgess then claimed an overthrown lineout to canter in before Alex Gray added England’s fifth.

Tickets are still available for Sunday of the Marriott London Sevens from the Twickenham ticket office.

Burgess storms through the French defence to score a decisive try for England in the quarter final (Photo: Getty Images)

England put in an exciting attacking performance to make the crowd proud as they beat Fiji 26-19 to clinch third place in the London Marriott Sevens at Twickenham.

With tries from James Rodwell, Howard Packman, Tom Mitchell and Mat Turner England finished the day strongly despite making a slow and disappointing start.

They trailed France for the duration of the quarter final before, as with yesterday’s pool decider against HSBC Sevens World Series Champions New Zealand, Tom Mitchell slotted a crucial two points with the last kick of the game to nudge the hosts ahead 19-17.

Against Australia however, England fell behind 15-0 and despite a determined second half comeback with tries from Mitchell and Norton, the challenge was too great and the final slipped out of reach,
15-12.

England Sevens Head Coach Simon Amor said: “It has been a frustrating day, the players really wanted to connect with the crowd and show what it meant to be playing for England in an England shirt at Twickenham and unfortunately we tried too hard on occasions and as a result our decision making wasn’t quite good enough against France and Australia.

“You cannot however question their desire and endeavour and I’m really pleased with the character they showed to come back from this morning’s disappointment and play some really good rugby against a strong Fiji side. I’m particularly delighted with young Howard Packman who was fantastic and hopefully that will be good experience for him going into the Junior World Cup.”

Fiji took the lead through Emosi Mulevoro but as they have done all tournament, England rallied hard and it was 18 year-old Packman who ignited their challenge.

The pacey Northampton Saint gathered Fiji’s restart and scorched 50 metres upfield, stumbling just short of the line. The ball was recycled following some industrious support play and Fiji were penalised at a ruck. Mitchell directed the ensuing set-play and sent James Rodwell over for this third try of the tournament.

Ben Ryan’s outfit looked to retain the ball as the clock ran down to half-time, but Packman again intervened, winning a brave turnover. Mitchell chipped through and Christian Lewis-Pratt was taken in the air by Waisea Nacuqu, who was shown a yellow card.

Retaining composure, Mitchell made the numerical advantage pay by weaving through the defence to set Packman up to dive over in the corner. Lewis-Pratt’s conversion made it 14-5 at the break.

Leading from the front, Mitchell capped yet another fine display with a brilliant individual try, taking his tally to 351 points in this year’s HSBC Sevens World Series, 91 more than any other player.

Mat Turner was next to evade the Fijian tackles and cross the line for England’s fourth. Fiji grabbed a pair of consolations through Leo Naikasau and Nacuqu but it was a dominant and deserved victory for England.

Mitchell said: “It was a slow start today but we turned that around and in some ways that is more important because it shows we have got the heart and the passion. Every time these guys turn out in an England shirt there is 100% effort and it’s just about putting the technical things together now and improving consistency across tournaments.

“It has been amazing playing in front of the crowd here at Twickenham, to have everyone cheering us on makes a massive difference and we really appreciate everyone turning out to support us. I think everyone has really enjoyed themselves and that’s great to see.”

Earlier, a Phil Burgess try in the closing minute against France put England in a position for victory. Mitchell converted, taking his points-tally for the match to seven. Rodwell’s try just before the break had kept France in reach after Virimi Vakatawa had gone over the line a minute earlier. Tries from Terry Bouhraoua and a second for Vakatawa made for a tense and end to end 14 minutes.

Yesterday’s attendance set a new record and 112, 487 fans attended Twickenham across the weekend. New Zealand lifted the cup with a high scoring final against Australia (52-33) as they also claimed their 12th Series title in 15 years.