England legend Lewis Moody cannot wait to take in the excitement of the Dubai Sevens and witness the “best format” to promote rugby across the globe.
Moody, 36, won 71 caps and captained his nation during a glittering career that included victory at the 2003 World Cup.
“Mad Dog” has travelled to the Emirates as an HSBC ambassador to take in the fanfare generated by the huge crowds at 7he Sevens, with more than 100,000 attending last year.
Nations outside the traditional heavyweights such as the United States, Kenya, Brazil and Portugal will all be competing once more.
Moody was convinced the ease of play afforded by sevens makes it the vehicle to open up new frontiers ahead of its Olympic debut in 2016.
“For me, I love rugby and always have done with its teamwork and bonding,” the ex-Leicester and Bath flanker said.
“We think it is such a great sport, which needs to be spread across the world.
“To be honest, 15s is a great sport but sevens is the best format to get people to understand the sport. It is really simple.
“There are less people and less rules, you get to see an exciting and lung-bursting game with plenty of tries scored.
“The Olympics are coming up. You already have the likes of the United States, Kenya and Portugal on board.
“All these teams are starting to generate good rugby players. The more we can do that and spread it around other nations, the better.”
Moody is visiting the Dubai Sevens for the first time, after seeing previous HSBC Sevens World Series events in London.
The Pool C finale between England and Australia jumped out at him as the fixture to most look forward to.
He said: “I am massively excited about the Dubai Sevens. I have been chatting with a couple of the players.
“Australia and England have a massive game, which will be interesting to watch after the recent 15-a-side result [England won 26-17 at Twickenham].”
