- Britain had sounded out the likes of Adam Radwan and Will Muir to present
- They are out of the standings and will compete for the final spot this weekend.
- France have secured Antoine Dupont, while Michael Hooper will play for Australia
Team GB’s hopes of qualifying for the rugby sevens tournament at this summer’s Olympic Games have been dealt a blow after failing to agree an insurance package for the release of Premiership players.
France have bolstered their squad with XV superstar Antoine Dupont and Australia have signed former Wallabies captain Michael Hooper to boost their chances of winning gold in Paris.
Great Britain sounded out the likes of Newcastle winger Adam Radwan and Bath’s Will Muir but have been unable to secure release packages ahead of this weekend’s decisive play-off tournament in Monaco.
England are out of Olympic qualification after missing the initial cut, and a lack of collaboration with the XV game will damage their chances of beating teams like South Africa this weekend for the final place in Paris.
The greater speed and intensity of the sevens game leaves XV players vulnerable to muscle injuries that could affect their availability for the start of the new season.
Team GB failed to agree an insurance package to release Premiership players for the Olympic qualifying tournament.
France have secured XV superstar Antoine Dupont (pictured) while Australia have signed former Wallabies captain Michael Hooper.
Newcastle manager Steve Diamond told Mail Sport he would be happy to release Adam Radwan if the paperwork was sorted.
Speaking to Mail Sport in April, Radwan’s Newcastle manager Steve Diamond told Mail Sport that he would be happy to release the star winger as long as the paperwork was sorted, which now seems unlikely.
“It would be fantastic for Adam and the club if he was selected,” Diamond said. “There is a training camp at the end of the season and as long as the insurance protocols are covered, he can go with our blessing.” It doesn’t matter if he misses a couple of games.”