Rising Saracens star and England Under-20 international – Ben Ransom – took some time out of his busy schedule to reflect on his Rosslyn Park HSBC National Schools Sevens triumph with Tonbridge in the Festival Tournament back in 2010.

The 20-year-old is now making a name for himself in the Aviva Premiership with champions Saracens and he attributes Sevens as a key aspect of his development as a player.

Ransom said: “It’s a great occasion at the Sevens but with it spread over two days it’s a tough ask on the players. But it’s the best tournament of its kind where we faced some great sides. 

“The final I played in was against Wellington – one of our rivals. They had boys like Guy Armitage and Sam Edgerley who I played in the age groups with, so it was good to see some familiar faces, but we were all going out for the win on the day. 

“The game – Sevens – also helped me develop as a player. Being a fullback, it helped with my skill set as the game is all about countering and spotting gaps in the defence. The fitness aspect is also key and helped prepare me for what’s to come with Saracens.”

And former Saracens great and World Cup winner Richard Hill – who is involved with the champions’ academy as both coach and mentor – also highlighted the importance of the festival from his now backroom capacity. 

“I’m here today on behalf of Saracens and it’s a three-fold process,” Hill said. “We want to be able to look at some of the players in our own system and we want to be able to look at other people – whether they’re in our region and schools or just in terms of comparison – and the other reason is that it’s just a great occasion and an opportunity to work on some of the relationships we have – whether it’s school masters or coaches. 

“For the players, it offers them a great opportunity to showcase their skill set. If they’ve got the ability, then the tournament gives them a chance to try their hand against some other top players and put themselves out there.”

Photo courtesy of England RFU