Before helping England to triumph over Samoa at Dubai Sevens in December 2010, John Brake’s most recent HSBC Sevens World Series appearance had been at Adelaide Sevens in 2008. John has scored 19 tries in his 16 international Sevens tournaments so far and is about to embark on the opening three legs of the ‘11/’12 HSBC Sevens World Series with England. Here we have an exclusive interview with the England Sevens scrum-half…

You played at Rosslyn Park when you were younger – what do you remember of the experience of playing at the tournament?

“We always looked forward to the Rosslyn Park HSBC National Schools Sevens; it was the penultimate tournament of the season and definitely the most important. We made it to the Final two years in a row in 2000 and 2001 losing both times before we won it three years on the bounce! I played there five times in all, winning it three times. We always played the other Sevens tournaments around the country but with Rosslyn Park being the National School Championships we always wanted to do well there. It was always such a good feeling winning and then going back to school holding your head high in front of all your classmates!”

How important are tournaments like Rosslyn Park HSBC National Schools Sevens to the future of Sevens rugby?

“It really is an important stepping stone to a future career in Sevens rugby. I was scouted by Northampton Saints playing there and most of the current England Sevens squad played in the tournament at least once. We even had a few of the kids who played there last year up to one of our training sessions recently so you can see the direct link to playing Sevens for England.”

What is the feeling like in the England camp ahead of the new Sevens World Series kicking off next week?

“The mood is competitive but positive, we set ourselves high standards and we want to live up to them. For this first stage of the HSBC Sevens World Series we really want to get off to a good start and put a bit of a marker down for the season. Pre-season has been long and competition for places has been quite intense as we had twenty fit guys all competing for twelve places. I was pleased to see my name on the final team sheet. We have never done three tournaments in a row so fitness and acclimatisation will be important – it’s the beginning of summer in Australia right now!”

Who do you think are the teams to watch this season?

“The big three this season I would say are New Zealand, South Africa and Samoa with maybe a big four if you include Fiji. New Zealand as defending champions will be a force again this year and we always respect them. South Africa had a good end of season last year so will be strong again this year as should the Samoans. The HSBC Sevens World Series is so competitive nowadays with no easy games – you have to treat each game as a final. You have to win six games over two days to win a tournament which is pretty tough.”

John Brake will be playing for England Sevens when the new HSBC Sevens World Series season kicks off on the Gold Coast in Australia on 25th November. For more information visit www.irbsevens.com