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The White Hart Marauders will stick to their mantra of mixing established players with exciting youngsters for this season’s inaugural National Sevens Series.

The Marauders start their National Series campaign against the British Army and Raging Bull Ronin at the group stages at this Saturday's RugbyRocks in London.

Familiar Marauders such as captain James Reilly, Adam Bishop and Howard Graham will again make up the core of the side.

But promising young talent such as Jake Henry, Charlie Walker, and Miles Mantella will all be given opportunities to develop throughout June and July. All three have had impressed with respective schools in recent years.

Bath’s Rhys Crane has England Sevens squad experience while they can boast players like Paul Jarvis and Drew Locke, who excel in the abbreviated code.

Wales World Cup Sevens winner Craig Hill has also been registered with IRB Sevens World Series players Ifan Evans and Alex Cuthbert also giving international experience to the team.

UWIC student Cuthbert picked up an injury at the Edinburgh Sevens and therefore won't be in London with Hill and Evans also not expected to play till later in the Series.

Former England Sevens flyer Noah Cato has also been included in the overall squad.

History boys

"Now its time to get down to the serious business at Rugby Rocks and with a first up match againt the Army there is no easy run into the National Series, says Team Manager Barrie Torbett. 

"However having played them many times over the years, and most recently in Bournemouth, we know what to expect and how to deal with it.

“We have a core of players but we do like to bring in younger players to really aid their development and showcase them.”

The Marauders are the longest surviving invitational sevens team having toured for almost 30 years. The club was formed at its ancestral home The White Hart Pub in Eversley, Hampshire.

The self-proclaimed ‘Best Pub Side in the World’ first became involved in sevens at the 1983 Amsterdam Sevens.

The likes of Will Carling, Lawrence Dallaglio, Dewi Morris have all represented the club, with the likes of Paul Sackey and England Sevens’ Kev Barrett turning out more recently.

Torbett feels that bringing a structure to the Series will provide an overdue framework for sevens in the UK. 

“At the Marauders we are really behind the Series. Player welfare and good refereeing is important and this kind of professional structure put in place by UR7s for the National Series is important. We are going to get the consistency between the tournaments, which is what we have yearned for.”

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White Hart Marauders Group C Fixtures - RugbyRocks

10:40 WH Marauders v British Army
12:00 WH Marauders v RB Ronin