We’ll be mates for life despite the punch-ups
That quarter-final against Argentina was the craziest game of rugby I’ve ever played in. To be stuck at 0-0 after 14 minutes is unheard of in Sevens and then Tom Mitchell hit the post with a penalty kick to win it in extra time.
Luckily we managed to keep going and got that try. I was the one scoring it but, given the efforts the lads put in, it could have been any of the seven players on the pitch crossing the line.
That game showed the spirit of Team GB and we showed all tournament how hard we had been working to become a real team for such a short space of time.
We all wanted to win a medal but when we met for the first time ten weeks ago we realised how big of a challenge it was going to be.
We went at each other hard in training and, with 27 players in camp all vying for only 12 spots, some of the sessions were quite tough.The coaches had to step in a couple of times to calm things down but it’s rugby after all and it’s a physical game.
I’ve made friendships I’m going to have for the rest of my life and, even if it’ll be funny playing against the Welsh and Scottish boys next season on the World Series, that’s something no-one will be able to take away from us.
Losing against Fiji in the final was tough and we didn’t do as well as we’d have hoped but they were on fire.They just turned it on and we couldn’t get the ball.When they’re in that mood they’re unstoppable.
It was a weird feeling after it because we’d just been hammered but we’d won a silver Olympic medal and that’s just amazing.
Sevens is going to get bigger and bigger from now. I have had a lot of messages from people on social media saying they had never heard of the sport but fell in love with it.
Hopefully that’ll bring a lot more people to the game and I have no doubt it’s going to remain an Olympic sport for a very long time.
From a personal point of view, to get back in time from my shoulder surgery was an achievement in itself.
I’ve got to give a special mention to the intensive rehabilitation unit in Bisham Abbey for how well they looked after me. I’ve never worked so hard in rehab and my shoulder was very sore at times but there was no way I would give up on my Olympic dream.
I had to give it everything I had and it was very overwhelming to be named in the squad. And then to be named in the tournament’s Dream Team was just the icing on the cake.
The whole experience was so surreal. In the first day we saw Usain Bolt, Serena Williams and Raphael Nadal in the athlete village and that’s when you realise how big the Olympics is.
We’re used to travelling in the World Series but getting in the lift with Jessica Ennis-Hill to go for breakfast reminds you something much bigger is about to happen.
Once our tournament was finished, we managed to watch some of the action live and I went to watch Andy Murray win his gold medal with a few of the boys. And if that wasn’t enough we then got into the Olympic stadium to see Usain Bolt in the 100 metres final.
We got back from Rio on Wednesday and it was great to see my mum and dad as well as my fiancée Katie who’s eight and half months pregnant. She said the tension of the quarter-final against Argentina nearly forced her into labour but luckily I haven’t missed the birth!