Britain's women have begun a three-month training programme ahead of Rio 2016 ©World Rugby

Britain’s women’s rugby sevens team have begun a three-month training programme aimed at honing their preparations for next year’s Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

The camp, located in Guildford, England, has brought together players from across the home nations, with Laurie Harries and Jasmine Joyce from Wales and Stephanie Johnston and Megan Gaffney from Scotland joining England’s squad of 19 full-time professionals.

Johnston has previously captained Scotland’s sevens side while she and Gaffney have also played for Britain at the Summer Universiade.

The non-English players were nominated by the Scottish Rugby Union and the Welsh Rugby Union.

The team will train three times a week at their base and will also compete in tournaments in Spain and Dubai by the end of the year.

“It is fantastic to bring the players from England, Scotland and Wales together for an intense period of time,” Britain's head coach Simon Middleton said.

“This is going to be a really important stage in the squad’s development as we give the players a chance to get to know each other, bond, and learn and develop from each other.

“I have been very impressed with what I have seen so far, and I will be looking forward to seeing how they go come competition time.”

Laurie Harries is one of two Welsh players to join up with her Scottish and British counterparts for a Rio 2016 training programme
Laurie Harries is one of two Welsh players to join up with her Scottish and English counterparts for a Rio 2016 training programme ©World Rugby

England secured Britain’s women’s quota place at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, where rugby sevens will make its debut on the programme, following a tense 15-14 victory over the United States in the final of the World Rugby Sevens Series event of the season in Amsterdam in May.

Australia, Canada and New Zealand also secured their Rio 2016 berths through the World Rugby Sevens Series and they will be joined by France, South Africa, Colombia and the United States, who all qualified through their respective regional tournaments, as well as hosts Brazil.



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