Hat-trick hero Jamie Adamson relieved to end Commonwealth campaign on a high
Hat-trick hero Jamie Adamson admitted it was a relief to finish a mixed Commonwealth Games on a high after England men’s sevens concluded their campaign with a win.
Two defeats from three games in the group stage against Samoa and New Zealand proved fatal to Team England’s chances of emulating the bronze medal they won at Gold Coast 2018.
But wins over Jamaica and home nation rivals Wales set up a play-off for ninth with Uganda, which the hosts won 31-17 thanks to three tries from 22-year-old Durham-born Adamson.
The Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games is inspiring people and communities across the country and Adamson hopes their performance will motivate others to get involved in sport.
And while questions remain over a difficult Games for England on the field, Durham star Adamson said it was important for the team to ride the sevens wave and finish with a flourish.
“It feels pretty good, it’s nice to top off a mixed-emotions tournament like that, but too good to end with a win and rounding off with some tries,” said Adamson.
“To score three tries is pretty cool. I thought the guy on the inside of me was chasing me down for the third try so I thought I’d be safe and make sure I got it down.
“You have to ride the sevens waves. There are ups and downs with it but it’s nice to finish on a high in front of the home crowd, the support has been immense throughout.”
The poor performance of the home nations at Birmingham 2022 has intensified the spotlight on the sevens programme, with Scotland’s men the only team to get out of their group.
England’s women also came up short in their medal quest, finishing fifth after winning bronze in 2018, ahead of the merger of the three nations for the 2023 World Sevens Series.
The teams were previously combined to form Great Britain men's and women's teams in 2021 amid funding cuts, after England’s players lost their central contracts during the pandemic.
For England captain Alex Davis, though, the way his players responded in difficult circumstances to win their final three games showed their character in the face of adversity.
“It’s fantastic, I’m really pleased with how we rounded off the tournament,” said the skipper. “It’s never easy in game six, day three, bodies are tired, minds are tired.
“But the boys did a brilliant job sticking in it, staying in every single fight and I’m really pleased to come out with a with a ‘W’ in the end. It was great out there.
“The atmosphere has been building all weekend and Uganda have been crowd favourites all weekend, so we knew we would be up against it.
“It’s always special playing in front of a home crowd. We obviously travel all over the world and often we don’t get many family and friends to play in front or a home support.
“So to have that here was amazing and to be part of that wider Team England was particularly special. We got the LA Sevens up next in August and then our World Cup in Cape Town. That’s another big tournament in the year but we’ll look forward to some rest now.”
National Lottery players raise more than £30million a week for good causes including vital funding into sport – from grassroots to elite. Find out how your numbers make amazing happen at: www.lotterygoodcauses.org.uk and get involved by using the hashtag: #TNLAthletes.
