Gollings dreams of winning crown

Dubai: Ben Gollings, a Rugby Sevens legend and England star, has one cherished dream before he calls it a day — to win that elusive World Series Sevens crown.

Speaking soon after he sealed England's spot in the semifinals here with a magical last-minute try against Argentina, Gollings said: "England have never won a World Series and I want to do it for them. I would love to be holding the trophy at Edinburgh..but that's still a long way off."

The first player in this form of the game to notch up 2000 points (it came at the London Emirates Sevens earlier this year), the 30-year-old had been one of the loyal servants of England rugby and with captain Ollie Phillips injured, had been entrusted with the role in Dubai Sevens again.

"This is a young team with not much experience, and they have done quite well for themselves to have come this far," he said.

Asked how lightly he wears that hat of a ‘legend' in the game, Gollings was quite candid: "I try not to think much about it but at the same time, there are expectations when you are going in. However, that keeps me honest… I always try to stay at the top of my game all the time. It doesn't allow you to switch off, which is a nice thing after all."

Now that his sport has made it to the Olympics, what's his take on the subject?

"I am hugely excited that it's finally made it to the Olympics. Personally, I won't be able to make it as I will be too old but it will be a great opportunity for the youngsters who are just coming into the game."

Growth of game

Talking about the growth of the Sevens, Gollings said: "The game has just exploded in the last 10 years with more and more countries taking to it. And now with the Olympics, there will be more money, more exposure for it on the cards."

Pressed for his comments on the Arabian Gulf men's team, which failed to win a single group game on Friday, Gollings said he thought it was unfair to expect them to make their mark in a tournament of such high standards.

"It's tough for them, they don't play together a lot. While they hold themselves well, they have to go a long way in terms of exposure as well as funding."