London - England Sevens captain Tom Mitchell believes there will be a
different vibe to this year’s World Rugby Sevens Series which commences in
Dubai on Friday.
England will be looking to improve on last year’s 8th-place
finish, and Mitchell insists those of his team who were involved in Great
Britain’s success at the Rio Olympics, can draw from the experiences it gave.
"For all the England players involved in that GB
journey, it was a really good experience in terms of training in a high level
environment with new players coming in. We learnt a lot about ourselves as
rugby players," Mitchell told the England Rugby website.
"We are super excited to get going; it has felt like
quite a long break since everything that happened in the summer, so we are
really itching to take the field as an England squad."
The Men’s team have won the Dubai Sevens on four occasions,
in 2004, 2005, 2010 and 2011, achievements Mitchell and his team will be aiming
to repeat.
"Historically it has always been an amazing tournament
for us. We are very fortunate to get a lot of support out there, and there is
always a brilliant atmosphere for us," Mitchell added.
"Running out onto that field, especially in the evening games when the lights are on and the crowd is really excited and gets behind you, is a very special feeling."