Bath student-rugby player Austin Emens helps GB Rugby 7s reach men’s final at HSBC SVNS Los Angeles tournament

University of Bath student Austin Emens was part of the Great Britain Rugby 7s squad that reached the men’s final at the HSBC SVNS Los Angeles tournament in the United States.

Emens, who studies Business and represents the University men’s 1st XV in BUCS Super Rugby, scored GB’s first try of the competition inside the opening two minutes of their match against Fiji but picked up a hamstring injury in the process.

That meant he had a watching brief as GB narrowly lost that game 15-12 and were beaten 19-12 by France before finishing their Pool C fixtures strongly with a 31-14 victory over Canada to progress to the quarter-finals where they overcame Australia 26-19.

A fantastic 10-7 win against Spain set up a final showdown against a France side featuring Antoine Dupont in their ranks and they proved too strong, winning 21-0 against injury-hit opposition to claim their first 7s title in 19 years.

Click here to watch highlights from the Fiji game, including Austin Emen’s try.

It was the best result of the season by GB’s men, though, and moves them up to ninth in the overall world standings with three rounds to go.

The women’s competition saw a Great Britain side featuring University of Bath alumnae Grace Crompton and Amy Wilson Hardy place ninth overall.

Click here to find out more about the rugby programme at the University of Bath.