Saints to return to Twickenham for World Club 7s tournament

EXPERT - Vasily Artemyev is in Russia's Sevens squad for this month's World Cup and could play for Saints in the World Club 7s in August (picture by Linda Dawson)

Jim Mallinder’s men will head to the home of English rugby on the weekend of August 17-18 as they take on the likes of Harlequins, Auckland, Blue Bulls and the Brumbies.

It will be the second time in the space of three months the club has been to HQ, following last month’s Aviva Premiership grand final defeat to Leicester Tigers.

And Mallinder is looking forward to what should be a good day out for everyone in green, black and gold.

“Rugby Sevens is a rapidly developing sport, and in the run-up to the Olympic Games its profile is going to get higher and higher,” said the Saints boss.

“The World Club 7s is going to be an exciting tournament to be a part of. We will be up against some top teams from across the globe, and it is going to be a good challenge for our players.

“It is obviously too early to be specific in terms of the squad we will be sending to Twickenham, but we have plenty of players who have international Sevens experience, like Lee Dickson, Ben Foden and Vasily Artemyev, and we will be looking to be competitive.”

There will be 12 teams involved in the tournament, with 11 of the attendees already confirmed. They are: ACT Brumbies, Auckland, Buenos Aires, Blue Bulls, Harlequins, Kuban Krasnodar, Los Angeles, Moscow, New York, Northampton Saints, Western Province.

The final team will be the winner of the J.P.Morgan Premiership Rugby 7s, which will be decided on Friday, August 9.