Engineering graduate helps England Rugby Women go fourth ahead of Rio 2016 Olympic Games
Amy Wilson Hardy helped England Women finish fourth overall in the 2015/16 HSBC World Rugby Women’s Sevens Series, following a same-place finish in the final round at Clermont-Ferrand, France on Sunday.
The University of Bath Integrated Mechanical and Electrical Engineering graduate was on the scoresheet against both Kenya and Spain on the opening day as England topped their group with three wins, the other victory coming against the United States.
They beat the US again in Sunday’s Cup quarter-final, 21-12, but a 31-10 defeat to eventual winners Canada denied England a place in the final and they had to settle for fourth after losing 22-5 to New Zealand in the third-place play-off.
Wilson Hardy is now hoping to be selected in the Great Britain squad for Rio 2016, when the sport of rugby sevens will be making its Olympic debut.
Head Coach Simon Middleton said: “We’ve got players who have performed consistently well throughout the year and a really strong squad to take to Brazil. There’s a lot of competition for places, including among those still at home.
“During this Series we have gone from being a Plate-playing side to a Cup-winning side, which is where we wanted to be. We recognise that we’re still developing but, with a couple of months left to do the fine-tuning, we’re where we need to be.”
