Alex Gray in numbers: from No.8 to 7s, and then to 13 in 15s!

Alex Gray intends following Tom Croft and James Haskell by using England Sevens as a route to international stardom.
Gray’s surprising switch to Sevens has come after a frustrating period for the No.8, of whom great things were expected when he joined London Irish from Newcastle two years ago.
But the one-time teenage prodigy, now 21, who captained England to Six Nations Grand Slams at U16, 18 and 20 level and to the Junior World Cup final in 2011, believes a move to the shortened form will be the making of him.
“My contract was up and I’ve always wanted to try Sevens so the timing’s perfect,” Gray told The Rugby Paper. “Coming out of all the England age-group stuff people earmarked me for this and that, but there’s been no solid ground since then.
“There were constant coaching changes at Newcastle, so to get away from all that I moved clubs and then Toby Booth left London Irish. It’s been hard to build momentum in my career and I haven’t performed as well as I could have done.
“Getting away and playing Sevens will get me out of the week-in, week-out monotony of the Premiership and back to developing myself and my game. I’m not trying to convert full-time to Sevens, I just want to better myself.
“It’s a good route and a great development tool for players. A lot of countries have used it, especially New Zealand where guys like Liam Messam and Hosea Gear have come through their ­programme. Tom Croft and James Haskell played Sevens at my age and they’re at the top of the game now. Croft’s been on a Lions tour and they’re both playing for England, so that’s the aspiration for me as well.”
Gray, left, one of four signings announced by England Sevens, alongside Luke Fielden, of Newcastle, Cornish Pirates flanker Phil Burgess and Loughborough’s Callum Wilson, will meet boss Ben Ryan this week.
Fitness permitting, he may be fast-tracked into the squad for the Sevens World Cup in Moscow on June 28-30.
“They’ve said if I start training in June I might be in with a shout,” Gray said. “But I’ve got to be worth my place and the one really daunting thing about Sevens is the fitness levels you’ve got to get to.
“It’s different from the ­Premiership, especially as a forward, where you don’t tend to make many 60-80 metre runs. That’s going to be my major work-on.”
Should Gray develop as expected, it may raise the intriguing possibility of him returning to 15s as a No.13.
London Irish boss Brian Smith had been considering the switch and Gray, whose athletic, 6ft 5in physique lends itself to the position, is open-minded about reinventing himself post-Sevens.
“I played a bit at centre when I was younger and have trained there with Irish,” he said. “Sevens will open my eyes to whether I’ve got that ability, but centres these days are getting more physical and abrasive and I probably fit that mould.
“There’s not a lot of space for the type of running No.8 I am, especially in the Premiership during the winter months. If I was playing in Super XV I’d probably have a bit more luck, but playing centre’s a way off yet.
“I’m just looking forward to experiencing new things, visiting different places and developing my all-round game. It’s elite rugby, there’s no hiding place in Sevens. You’re representing your country and there’s a Commonwealth Games next year and then an Olympics.
“They’re going to be massive competitions and, as a pro rugby player, that’s what you want to be involved with.”
NEALE HARVEY