When the Prince made England Sevens kings

Brendan Gallagher delves into some of rugby’s most enduring images, their story and why they are still so impactful

- Brendan Gallagher

What’s happening here?

It’s April 16, 1993 and the unfancied England squad have just walked off with the Melrose Cup – the inaugural World Sevens Championship – which had been staged over an exhausting wintry weekend at Murrayfield. A world title to add to the back-to-back Grand Slams of 1991 and 1992, not to mention that World Cup final appearance in 1991.

For those struggling to place names to faces, the victorious England squad was: Back row Adedayo Adebayo, Chris Sheasby, Justyn Cassell, Matt Dawson, Damian Hopley, Tim Rodber. Front row: Dave Scully, Andrew Harriman, Nick Beale, Lawrence Dallaglio

What’s the story behind the picture?

In fact there are a couple of story lines to dig into. First a hat-tip to the SRU who, 20 years after staging the World Invitation Sevens which England also won, went to the IRB with the proposal that an official World Sevens Championship should be contested every four years, midway between the world fifteens competition which was obviously here to stay after successful tournaments in 1987 and 1991.