Great Britain Rugby Sevens Olympic squad could include 15s stars

Great Britain Sevens are looking to use players from XV-a-side to strengthen their squad for this summer's Olympics in Rio.

Men's head coach Simon Amor plans to select a large training group in May ahead of naming the final squad of 12 players in July.

The RFU has been criticised for a lack of preparation ahead of the summer showpiece, with other nations agreeing the release of big names from their respective XV-a-side squads including Sonny Bill Williams, Quade Cooper and Bryan Habana.

Amor was appointed head coach of England Sevens in 2013 and was named as the Team GB coach last July.

"I've been looking closely both at sevens specialists from across the three unions and a number of the XV-a-side players throughout the season and know the balance we need in the squad," he said.

"Previous international sevens experience is important for the players coming in and certain positions and skill sets allow them to blend better with current sevens players."

Eddie Jones' England are on tour in Australia in the summer and the Saxons are travelling to South Africa.

Wales, Scotland and Ireland, whose Northern Ireland players are eligible for Team GB, are also scheduled to travel overseas in June.

Amor is planning to enter two squads into a series of tournaments in June and July before naming his final party for the Olympics.

"Being able to enter two GB teams in all competitions allows us to test different combinations and confirm which XV-a-side players can make the physical, mental and game-understanding transition," he said.

"By the time we have played at our home tournament in Exeter on July 9 and 10 we will have a good understanding of which players are really putting their hands up."

The inaugural Olympic Sevens competition gets under way on August 6, with rugby being played in any form for the first time since rugby union featured at the 1924 Paris Olympics.