Simon Amor named England Sevens head coach

The RFU today named Simon Amor as the new England Sevens Head Coach.
Amor is a former England Sevens captain and will join the RFU from his role as Director of Rugby at London Scottish in due course.
The RFU were hunting for a new man to lead England into the HSBC Sevens World Series after Ben Ryan departed the position early August and, despite denying rumours linking him with the Jon in The Rugby Paper last week, Amor will make a return to shorten version of the game.
The 34 year-old – whose playing career included top-flight spells with London Irish, Gloucester Rugby and London Wasps – has been in charge at London Scottish since 2010.
He returns to the code in which he won four Hong Kong Sevens titles, a silver medal at the Commonwealth Games in 2006 and the accolade of IRB World Player of the Year in 2004.
Amor said: “I’m delighted to have been given the chance to lead England Sevens at such an exciting time in the development of the sport.
“England have a talented squad and my focus is on helping the players realise their potential in the HSBC World Series, at next year’s Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and beyond.
“I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my time putting the full-time programme in place at London Scottish. The future for the club in the Championship looks very bright and I’m grateful for the opportunity they’ve given me to develop my career.”
RFU Head of International Player Development Joe Lydon said: “We had a strong field of candidates for the role of England Sevens Head Coach and Simon came out on top in a very competitive process.
“He’s an outstanding individual who has the coaching, managerial and leadership skills to take the England Sevens programme forward and shape its strategic role in our international player development pathway. I’m looking forward to working closely with him.
“I’d also like to thank London Scottish for the positive and professional way they have engaged with us to make the transition as smooth as possible for all parties.”