By Pippa Field

Bromley Bandits sevens head coach James Powell jokingly claims it took a stroke of luck to triumph at a recent event but as they now gear up to take on the best the region has to offer, he is desperate to keep the hot streak going.

Bromley won the Whiting and Hammond 7s and had been selected as one of 32 local qualifiers to host England Rugby’s inaugural community sevens competition, the 24/Sevens series.

24/Sevens is an exciting new community sevens series that aims to grow rugby and increase participation among men and women in clubs.

Local qualifier winners will progress to regional play-offs with the competition culminating in a showpiece national grand final event with 24 teams at the end of July, hosted by England Rugby.

And Powell claims that though his team enjoy the social side of the game, they are out to win tournaments.

“It was a really good result for us. We actually originally entered for the social tournament and then got bumped up and ending up winning it,” the 23-year-old Bromley first XV winger said.

“We rotate the team from tournament to tournament but we take it seriously. We want to develop the talent at the club.

“I’m sure it will be a sterner test in the next round too but hopefully we can keep our winning run going.

“The best part of the sport is that it can be played from grassroots level up. There’s a really good atmosphere with the music and entertainment and it’s also a good warm up for pre-season too.”

Bromley will now be part of the 24/Sevens South East play-off which takes place at Saracens’ Allianz Park on July 10 with a chance to reach the national grand final.

Powell says that while his side will relish the opportunity to play on such a big stage, they are certainly not just there to make up the numbers.

He added: “We have had some good success over the last few years in the 15s and then it was decided that this season we would also focus on the sevens side of things more.

“The club wanted to make things a bit more serious, so my twin brother Tom and I took it on.

“It’s great to see the RFU getting behind 7s with the 24/Sevens idea. They’ve shown they want to keep developing it.

“It would be amazing to go on and win the first one, we’ll be doing all we can to do that.”

England Rugby 24/Sevens, a new exciting grassroots sevens competition for all rugby teams, welcoming anyone who just wants to pick up a ball and run, for fun or glory.

Visit www.englandrugby.com/24sevens to get involved.