England's sevens squad celebrate in Hong Kong last year

England beat sevens experts Fiji 33-20 in the final of last year's event and the nucleus of that squad is boosted by some promising inclusions.

Seven of the 2002 party - Simon Amor, Geoff Appleford, Phil Greening, Richard Haughton, Jamie Noon, Henry Paul and Tony Roques - will again shoulder England's hopes.

They will be joined by Rotherham's Rob Thirlby, exciting Harlequins wing Ugo Monye, Northampton scrum-half John Howard, London Irish centre Matt Cannon and Newcastle's Phil Dowson.

But they will have to do without England senior players Josh Lewsey and James Simpson-Daniel.

The prestigious Hong Kong tournament carries double ranking points in the IRB World Series.

Even when I was playing in rugby league I used to watch England coach Joe Lydon

England are currently third on the IRB rankings list following their tournament win in Brisbane and runners-up spot in Wellington earlier this year.

"If you win a tournament like Brisbane or Hong Kong, then that's a massive plus because the series is so competitive now," said Lydon.

"The strength of the sevens game is good for spectators, and just about everybody is capable of beating everybody else now.

"But I'm confident about our squad, and the ability of our players.

"We want to do well because it's a very prestigious tournament.

"Even when I was playing in rugby league, I used to watch, and I knew it was a tremendous event."

Health scare

England begin their defence against Singapore on Friday, followed by further pool fixtures against Chinese Taipei and Tonga on Saturday.

Tonga were a late inclusion after Italy joined France and Argentina in withdrawing from the event due to concerns about a virus.

But John Molloy, chairman of the Hong Kong Rugby Football Union, said the event would go ahead after receiving assurances from government health officials.

Scotland and Wales are also sending teams, with Scotland grouped alongside Fiji, Japan and Russia, while Wales face Australia, Hong Kong and China.