England Rugby Sevens head coach Simon Amor has expressed his belief that his squad for the Commonwealth Games are the "fittest rugby players in England".
Amor named his 12-man squad for the Glasgow Games on Thursday as England look to improve upon their fourth-placed finish in the Delhi event four years ago.
With sevens becoming an Olympic sport in 2016, Amor believes that there has been a change of attitude towards the shorter form of the game as people notice the high skill level required.
"I want to see more people playing sevens. I think it's great for that growth, but I think people are recognising the standard of the athletes, the skill level. This group that have been selected are the fittest rugby players in England, there is no question about that. They would wipe the floor with pretty much anyone else, and the commitment and sacrifices they've put in to do that are unbelievable," Amor told reporters.
"I think that is slowing starting to filter through to people in terms of watching it, just the demands of the game right now at the top level. The way the modern game is going from physical, big and pacy to guys that can go again and again and again. It's not about doing one sprint, it's about doing the sprint then sprinting back, then sprinting back, having a short rest and then going again.
"In a 15-a-side game you have probably a sprint then a slow jog, and then maybe a stoppage in play for a scrum or a lineout reset for the prolonged period of 40 minutes. Sevens it is 'you are going, you are going, you are going, and then you're done'. On that side of things the guys and their fitness levels right now are exceptional."
England will face Sri Lanka, Uganda and Australia on day one of the sevens tournament at Ibrox.
Barney Corkhill
