Captain Fergusson sure Team GB can win over the sceptics with performances on the pitch

Gone are the days when England fans rocked up to the Emirates Dubai Sevens expecting their side to be in title contention at the end of it.

It is 12 years now since England was last inscribed on the Emirates International Trophy. And they will struggle to do it this weekend, seeing as the side no longer exists.

For years, England, Wales and Scotland fans had baited each other in the scaffolding stands while their teams did battle on the field.

Then in the past two years they discovered they were going to have to rub along nicely instead seeing as they were all part of the same team now. Most were a little nonplussed to discover the home nations had been merged to make Great Britain Sevens.

Robbie Fergusson, the captain of the GB men’s team, says it has taken some getting used to, even for the players.

“I have some of my best memories here from when I was playing for Scotland against England, and the bagpipes were playing and there was the rivalry,” Fergusson said.

“Last year was almost a shock to the fans. They didn’t seem to be fully aware of GB and what that was. There would still be an English contingent, a Welsh contingent and a Scottish contingent.

“[Dubai] was the first tournament last year and as the year went on the GB element grew. We saw Union Jacks and the fans came round to it.

“It will be interesting to see this weekend where we are with it. The expat community is obviously massive, with lots of English support.

“Will they stick with England and not really know as they are there for the party, or have they twigged on to the Great Britain thing?

“We have found that the better you play in these tournaments the more people back you anyway. So that is the simple answer.”

Ayr-born Fergusson knows bagpipes are a