Iziq Foa’i’s rugby development continues apace after he was included in the Harlequins squad for Friday night’s Premiership 7s finals at The Stoop.
The 19-year-old Abu Dhabi schoolboy, who has spent the past fortnight with the London-based club, was part of the squad that secured its place in the showpiece by winning all three of their Group C games at Franklin’s Gardens last weekend.
Quins sevens coach Howard Graham has been forced into making four changes to the 12-man party that will take the field on home soil, largely due to first XV commitments.
However, Foa’i has done enough to retain his place. Foa’i and his temporary team-mates will come up against a youthful London Irish side in their quarter-final (kick-off 21:50 UAE) as they bid to kick-off the new season with silverware.
Victory in the last eight clash will put them on collision course with the winners of Newcastle quarter-final clash with Newport-Gwent Dragons in the semi-finals.
The other side of the draw sees Cardiff Blues face Leicester Tigers, and Gloucester take on Northampton — who Quins beat in last Friday’s group stage.
Although most of the squads have been drawn largely from the competing clubs’ academies, the standard of competition will be fierce, with the Blues and Dragons calling up a player each from Wales’ recent Commonwealth Games squad.
Whatever the outcome for Quins, Foa’i’s inclusion in their squad can only benefit his development ahead of his return to Abu Dhabi next season.
The finals will be the culmination of the talented New Zealand-born centre’s two-week stay in London, before he heads up to St Helens for a similar spell with the rugby league club.
And it seems that the 19-year-old and his fellow team-mates have impressed coach Graham in reaching the finals.
Following their performance in Northampton last Friday night, that saw them rack up wins against the hosts, Saracens and Wasps, he said: “We’ve got an outstanding bunch of players, with some of the youngsters really putting their hands up.
“We had a short training session which enabled us to put a structure in place. They listened well, and then their skill set did the rest.
“Sevens really suits our ethos and style of play in 15s – it is a great stage to put our skills to the test. We are really looking forward to playing in the finals at home. We’ve never won the tournament and it would be nice to put that right at home at The Stoop.”
