England Sevens star Christian Lewis-Pratt took some time out of his busy schedule ahead of the Japan leg of the HSBC Sevens World Series to reflect on his memories of the Rosslyn Park HSBC National Schools Sevens tournament.

“Winning the 2009 Rosslyn Park 7s Open final is without a doubt my fondest memory of rugby whilst at Wellington College, and probably my fondest in rugby full stop. Whilst I have been fortunate to go on and recently receive international honours in Sevens, I still can’t compare anything else I have achieved thus far to the adulation of being schoolboy champions. Genuinely!

“With so many schools entering the tournament, and so much talent on show, you know that winning effectively means one thing: best in the country. I know that’s not completely accurate, but I would like to claim those rights!

“It was only in my final year at Wellington that we pushed hard for a proper Sevens programme. Whilst the school had never had a problem doing well at Rosslyn Park, it had never given Sevens a real focus. With the introduction of new, and current coaches Steve Shortland and Kevin Brennan – we were able to dedicate a full term to 7s. Training most days, I remember thinking how amazing it would be to play 7s as a career. That was the first time I really thought I wanted to play England 7s; more so than XVs.

“We were lucky that year to have a team full of speed and school boy talent – one of which I am currently on tour with now in Tokyo, and who is also a current Rosslyn Park player; Sam Edgerley. Who, if you want to see some footage of how to light up the National Schoolboy 7s, type ‘Wellington College Sevens’ into YouTube and have a watch! There are some serious tries on tape!

“Sevens is such an exciting game, you can’t help but love it, whether your playing or watching. I wish everyone competing the best of luck, play hard and most importantly have fun. It was my best time at school, and for some lucky teams I’m sure it may be yours too!

“After you’ve taken in the Rosslyn Park Sevens – make sure to get down to Twickenham and show your support for the final leg of this years HSBC World Sevens Series!”

Christian Lewis-Pratt is a former minis and youth Rosslyn Park player – you can follow news about the club on Twitter @rosslynpark and #rpfamily

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