Brown calls sevens athletes the best in the world ahead of Ultimate Sevens finale at Brentford

Abbie Brown, one of England’s most decorated sevens players, has declared sevens athletes the best in the world as her Albion Athletic side enter the Ultimate Sevens tournament finale at Brentford Community Stadium on Thursday with everything still to play for.

Athletic arrive at the London venue sitting bottom of the standings, but the winner-takes-all format means Brown’s team remain very much in contention for the title. The Commonwealth Games medallist and Team GB captain is relishing the occasion.

“Some people would say sevens athletes are the best in the world,” Brown said ahead of the event. “I really do believe that. The athletes themselves are just incredible. This is pretty much the best of the best all playing against each other and, under the floodlights on a night in London, what more could be better?”

The Ultimate Sevens has drawn some of the biggest names in the short format, with players who have spent years competing against each other on the international SVNS Series circuit now regularly lining up on the same team — or, in Brown’s case, finding themselves on opposite sides from close friends.

Seven other Team GB players were placed in the Draft Pool alongside the 30-year-old, meaning she now faces familiar faces such as Katie Shillaker and Ellie Boatman as opponents.

“I know Ellie and she was handing me off,” Brown laughed. “I’ve never been on the other side of her hand-off before. It really caught me off guard because she’s a close mate and I know her so well. There’s been a really good feel within Ultimate Sevens. Everyone has been expressing themselves.”

Beyond the result, Brown sees Thursday’s finale as a meaningful opportunity to inspire the next generation of players, particularly in the women’s game. She reflected on growing up without visible female rugby role models and the shift she has witnessed in recent years.

“Growing up, I never really had a women’s rugby role model because it wasn’t really publicised,” she said. “My role models were people like Jonny Wilkinson. It’s really cool now. I’m really close with Red Roses players and to see the impact they have had, and to see that they are now role models, is also inspiring to me. I always want to be a role model in the sevens world.”

With the tournament reaching its climax on home soil, Brown is determined to deliver a performance that reflects both the quality of the format and the growing stature of women’s sevens rugby in the UK.