Simon Amor: With players we've got we don't envy anyone

Great Britain's men are confident of a successful Olympics but know they face a formidable challenge from the heavyweights of the abbreviated game.

Simon Amor: Confident. Picture: Getty

Team GB men’s head coach Simon Amor said: “It’s obviously been a very big challenge compared to the rest of the opposition. [But] it’s a challenge we’ve known about since the start.

“The quality of the squad we’ve got is very, very good. We’ve got a great blend and balance of sevens specialists with huge world series experience, to guys in the 15-a-side who have had sevens experience previously and are world class in their own right.

“The challenge for us now in a short space of time is can we gel those combinations? The 12 we’ve got are very special.”

Britain play a New Zealand side including two-time World Cup winner Sonny Bill Williams in the pool stage but Amor will not be casting a jealous glance at the wealth of talent in the Kiwi ranks.

He is thrilled with the squad he has assembled and wished he could have called upon more names from the initial 25-man group.

Amor said: “We don’t look enviously at anyone. We’re about ourselves. It’s a very special group of guys.

“I can’t quite put into words how well they’ve been this past six, seven weeks.

“In an ideal world we would’ve taken 20 people plus to Rio. It was that close on so many calls.

“We’ve picked who we think are the best combinations to go up against the best of the world in New Zealand, South Africa, Fiji.”

The women’s group, led by England’s Emily Scarratt, has five other 15-a-side World Cup winners, including Katy McLean, who captained England to their win in 2014.

The only one non-English player is Jasmine Joyce of Wales.

The women are competing first from 6-8 August at the Deodoro Stadium in a pool which includes hosts Brazil, Japan and Canada, facing the hosts in their opening pool match.