‘Great Britain ready for Olympic challenge’ – Amor

Editor

Great Britain Sevens coach Simon Amor revealed that his final message to his squad will be to "play to your full potential and enjoy every single moment".

Team Great Britain's men get their Olympic campaign underway against Kenya on Tuesday before facing Japan later in the day.

And Amor believes his squad are ready for the challenge awaiting them in Rio.

"These guys will give absolutely everything for Team GB," Amor told thew RFU's official website. 

"They will stay calm and composed and give it their best.

"This is a unique experience for them and one they will look back on for many years to come. It’s a special time for everyone and they are embracing every moment of it."

Team GB men get their Olympic campaign underway with a match against Kenya (4pm BST) before taking on Japan (9pm BST).

Amor’s side then face New Zealand on Wednesday as they look to secure a quarter-final spot.

"We start off with a very physical challenge from Kenya who are a big team," added Amor.

"They bring a real physical challenge so we will have to match that one and play with real creativity. We then play a very fast and dynamic off-loading team in Japan so they will be a different kind of style and threat.

"Finally we have New Zealand, who are among the favourites, and who have picked an enormous team so again it's another big challenge. If we can play to our full potential and gel our combinations then we can beat anyone in the world."

Amor also said the excitement is building within the squad after months of build-up.

"They are excited, they are approaching it without any fear, they know what the expectation is and they are embracing the opportunity," he said.

"It’s been an interesting 12 months for our GB programme, we’ve reached a point where we have an amazing group of players with incredible spirit. We can’t wait to get going."

The sport is making its debut at the Olympics and Amor sees it as an important moment for rugby sevens to showcase itself to the world on the biggest stage.

"It’s a massive opportunity to show just what a special game rugby and rugby sevens in particular really is," he said. 

"This will hopefully allow the sport to grow all over the world and when they see the speed, skill, sheer brilliance and excitement will capture the imagination of a lot of people."