ENGLAND Sevens star Dan Norton insists his side’s combination of experience and youth could prove lethal as they take on the best Europe has to offer in Exeter next month, writes Jack Miller.

England’s leg of the European Sevens series will be held at Sandy Park on July 11-12, and after the conclusion of the World Series that saw the team book Great Britain a spot at the Rio Olympics, England will use the tournament to integrate new members of the squad with several of their more established players.

Former Hartpury College star Norton is England’s all-time second-highest scorer in sevens rugby with 188 tries, and marked his 50th international tournament at Twickenham earlier this year by leading the side out against Kenya.

But with ten new faces in England’s Sevens line-up already for the series legs in Lyon and Moscow, the 27-year-old winger cannot wait to see what they can bring to the table for the Red Rose.

“Exeter really is a hotbed of rugby at the moment with the Chiefs doing so well, and it’s really exciting to head down there to play as everyone loves their rugby,” said Norton.

“This is a key stepping stone for the new members of the squad to play in the World Series.

“They will learn a lot about the England set-up, and the culture of the Sevens team. And they can get used to the structure of playing a sevens tournament over an entire weekend, and the rigours of playing one game, then stopping for a couple of hours before the next one.

“That’s one of the hardest things, and physically these guys will all be in great shape but they have to develop the discipline and the skills to be part of the squad."

Despite an inconsistent start to this year’s World Series, England rallied in the second half of the season and ended the campaign in style with a fourth-place finish at Twickenham’s showcase event in front of 80,000 raucous fans.

That was good enough to book Team GB a place on the plane to Rio for next summer’s Olympic Games, and Norton believes there has never been a more exciting time for the sport.

He added: “Since Sevens was included in the Olympic line-up there has been a lot more excitement and awareness around the sport in this country and all over the world.

“A lot more nations are taking it seriously. There are a lot more full-time teams, and money is being spent so the level of the sport has definitely increased.

“It was great to finish on a high in London by qualifying in front of a home crowd. It was very exciting to do it in front of friends and family who came to watch us play.

“It’s always amazing to wear the England shirt wherever we are, but doing it at Twickenham is even better. The ground was packed and it’s amazing to see how it has grown over the last few years.

“It gives you an extra edge and to qualify for the Olympics was an incredible achievement for the squad and the whole programme.”

The Rugby Europe Seven at Sandy Park, catch them if you can on July 11 & 12. Tickets available from www.exeterchiefs.co.uk