George Tresidder says Leicester Tigers will have to "come out firing" when they open the action at the Premiership Rugby Sevens Finals on Friday.
Tigers face Cardiff Blues in the opening quarter-final of the evening at The Stoop, with the winners facing defending champions Gloucester Rugby or Northampton Saints in the semi-finals while the losers go into the Plate tournament.
After losing to Newcastle Falcons in the opening match in Group D in the qualifying round, Tigers beat London Welsh and then scored a bonus-point win over Sale Sharks to make it through to the finals.
The 19-year-old Tresidder, who also played in the finals with Tigers last year, said: “We had a slow start and lost our first match, but we felt we were improving with every game and played some good Sevens rugby in the end.
“Now it’s knockout rugby and, if you lose you’re out, so we have to come out firing.”
Tresidder, named captain of the Tigers squad for Friday, hopes the team can continue to improve in the shorter format of the game.
“It was a very enjoyable experience last weekend,” he said. “I was nervous going into it, but once you get on the field those nerves disappear and it turned into a good night of Sevens rugby.
“We did have a few guys from last year and that experience helped. We also brought in players with more Sevens experience and they were able to lead the way tactically.”
Tigers face Cardiff Blues in the opening quarter-final of the evening at The Stoop, with the winners facing defending champions Gloucester Rugby or Northampton Saints in the semi-finals while the losers go into the Plate tournament.
After losing to Newcastle Falcons in the opening match in Group D in the qualifying round, Tigers beat London Welsh and then scored a bonus-point win over Sale Sharks to make it through to the finals.
The 19-year-old Tresidder, who also played in the finals with Tigers last year, said: “We had a slow start and lost our first match, but we felt we were improving with every game and played some good Sevens rugby in the end.
“Now it’s knockout rugby and, if you lose you’re out, so we have to come out firing.”
Tresidder, named captain of the Tigers squad for Friday, hopes the team can continue to improve in the shorter format of the game.
“It was a very enjoyable experience last weekend,” he said. “I was nervous going into it, but once you get on the field those nerves disappear and it turned into a good night of Sevens rugby.
“We did have a few guys from last year and that experience helped. We also brought in players with more Sevens experience and they were able to lead the way tactically.”
