England Sevens opportunity for Howard Packman

England U20s flyer Howard Packman will join the England Sevens squad for the first time as they compete in the eighth leg of the HSBC Sevens World Series in Glasgow this weekend.
The Northampton winger is is the only change to the side that finished third and second in Tokyo and Hong Kong respectively taking over from Harlequins No.8 Jack Clifford.
Packman has represented England at each age group since U16s and will hope to follow in Clifford’s footsteps in June when he heads to New Zealand as part of the U20s squad to defend the IRB Junior World Championship trophy, lifted by the former captain last summer.
Head Coach Simon Amor said: “Howard has played for a number of England teams and has been a super talent from a very young age.  This is a great opportunity to get him involved in the Glasgow tournament. With the Junior World Championship very much in mind, this will help with his preparation and development.  In training with the squad, he has proved that he is a devastating runner and we are hoping that he will not only add something to the England Sevens team but also gain a lot from the experience.
“It’s a challenge for any team when new players come in at different stages but the squad understands how sevens fits into the England development pathway. Our ability to do this reflects the strength and unity of the core group and credit must go particularly to the senior players for integrating the young guys and bringing them up to speed.”
England are currently fourth in the world series standings, eight points behind Fiji who trail South Africa and New Zealand, with just Glasgow and the Marriott London Sevens (May 10 & 11) left to play.  They face Canada, France and Japan on day one of competition in Glasgow.
“France and Canada are particularly physical teams,” Amor added.  “We have beaten Canada by a single score in the past two tournaments and the last time we played France it was very close.   It will be a good test for our young team.  Japan were outstanding in Hong Kong and justifiably won the qualification tournament.  Their strength is their speed and dynamism so they provide a different threat and are certainly not to be underestimated.”
Coverage of the Emirates Airline Glasgow 7s is live on Sky Sports 3 from 10.30am on Saturday and 10am on Sunday.
England Sevens: Dan Bibby, Phil Burgess, Sam Blanchet, Alex Gray, Tom Mitchell (Capt.), Dan Norton, Howard Packman, Tom Powell, James Rodwell, Sam Stanley, Marcus Watson, Jack Walsh.