Harlequins winger Henry Cheeseman wants to follow in the footsteps of team-mates Charlie Walker and Joe Marchant and use the Singha Premiership Rugby 7s Series as a springboard to success in the first XV.
Walker and Marchant have both progressed from strong performances in the Singha 7s to the senior Harlequins squad with Walker scoring 13 tries in 16 appearances last year.
And on Friday night, Cheeseman was part of a dominant Harlequins side who scored 16 tries as they won all three Pool C group games at Franklin’s Gardens.
Quins will take on Wasps in the quarter-final at the Ricoh Arena on Sunday, with Cheeseman expecting the squad to seize their second chance to impress the coaches.
“We’re just going to go out there and have fun, all the boys will work hard, we’re a young group of lads trying to prove what we’ve got,” he said.
“You look at the boys coming through, the Charlie Walkers and Joe Marchants, they’re all doing big things so all the boys are challenged to do that and follow that pathway.
“We’ll go out there and try and win, but it’s all about the boys playing together, having some fun and putting smiles on their faces.”
With the help of England 7s internationals Oskar Hirskyj-Douglas and Cam Cowell, who won Man of the Round, Harlequins beat Northampton Saints 29-19 in their opening game at Franklin’s Gardens.
They followed that up with a 31-10 victory over Gloucester Rugby before beating Saracens 42-17.
But with their attacking threats coming to the fore, Cheeseman says it will be the side’s defensive duties which will come under the microscope this week in training.
“We’re only going to get better next week with a bit more organisational stuff, but the boys are looking sharp,” he added.
“We worked on organisational stuff, all the boys can play. When we’ve got the ball we’re going to carve teams up.
“It’s just the defensive stuff, keeping your mind sharp and the aerial stuff is key in 7s, it’s a massive part of the game keeping hold of the ball.
“We need to make sure we’re connected in defence, keeping hold of the ball, the breakdown, all the simple things and making sure we’re doing it well.”
Eight teams will play for the first silverware of the season in the Singha Premiership Rugby 7s Series Finals from 2pm at the Ricoh Arena, Coventry on Sunday 7 August. Click here for tickets.
Featured image courtesy of Getty/Premiership Rugby, with thanks
