England kicked off their FIRA AER European Grand Prix Series challenge with victory at the Lyon Sevens.
New-look line-up reel off seven wins
England kicked off their FIRA AER European Grand Prix Series challenge with victory at the Lyon Sevens.
England saw off Portugal 26-14 in the final to defend the title they won 12 months ago - with Andy Vilk (2), John Brake and Nick Royle scoring tries at the Matmut Stadium.
Despite being without the likes of Mat Turner and Dan Norton - with coach Benjamin Ryan opting to blood new talent - England dominated throughout in Lyon.
They reeled of wins over Ukraine (26-0), Spain (46-0), Scotland (31-19) and Georgia (34-7) on the opening day, before seeing off the Netherlands (35-19) and Wales (24-10) to seal a final spot against Portugal.
Dan Bibby, Matt Williams and Joel Hodgson were among the new faces that impressed during the competition.
The series now heads to Moscow and Odense over the coming month.
