China turn to ex-England rugby sevens star Ollie Phillips, with new coach targeting Asian Games gold, 2024 Olympics spot
- Phillips says he is hoping to awaken ‘a sleeping giant of 1.4 billion people’ as he takes on head coaching role for Chinese national team
- The former World Player of the Year will have former England stars Dan Norton and Tom Briggs as assistant coaches
China have turned to ex-England sevens captain Ollie Phillips to help them become a force in the world game, with the new head coach saying he was ready to “awaken a sleeping giant of 1.4 billion people”.
Phillips said he was “delighted” to be taking on the role and already set his sights on winning gold at next year’s Asian Games and qualifying for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The 38-year-old has been working with the Chinese Rugby Football Association in the UK, with the China sevens team playing against the likes of Jamaica, Wales, Canada and Fiji in the build-up to the Commonwealth Games.
“I have always wanted to explore and develop my coaching ability and the chance to coach one of the largest and most populated countries in the world was too good an opportunity to turn down,” he wrote in a social media post.
“The challenge is a big one, but success could mean qualification for the Paris Olympics and a gold medal at the Asian Games.”
Writing in a column for London-based newspaper City AM, Phillips, who will have former England pair Dan Norton – the leading all-time try scorer in sevens – and Tom Briggs to join him as assistant coaches, said he was excited to see what the trio could achieve.
“I’ve spent a lot of my life involved in rugby sevens but I haven’t taken on many challenges as big as the one I have just embarked on with China,” he wrote.
“I am heading up the coaching team for China’s sevens programme, and will be heading out there shortly for the next few months.”