England’s Ashton & Goode dreaming of Rio Olympics

England winger Chris Ashton and fullback Alex Goode have revealed they would jump at the opportunity to play Rugby Sevens for Great Britain on the sport’s debut at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

Sevens rugby missed out for the current Olympics but will be included in the next Olympics and Ashton says that he is excited by the possibility of challenging for a place in Team GB.

“Yes, I’d love to play at the Olympic Games in Rio in 2016 if I was given the chance,” he told the Rugby Paper.

“I would like to go there and any chance to get a gold medal is a very exciting thought.”

It is not yet known whether Team GB would pick players who have performed well in the 15 man game for Wales, Scotland and England or whether they would pick players from the regular sevens team but there is plenty of excitement over Sevens being included again in the Olympics.

Rugby was an Olympic sport in the early part of the last century but it was dropped after America won the Gold medal.

Alex Goode who made his international debut against South Africa in June said that he would love the opportunity to be involved in the Olympics.

“I have always wanted to go to Rio – it would be ideal to combine it with an Olympic Games,” said Goode.

“I wouldn’t hesitate to do it. I would literally love to do that. It would be a dream to be an Olympian.

“To see the Olympics now and the fever I have got, if I even had a glimmer of getting there I would work myself to the bone to have a chance.

“It would be fantastic. I think it would take two months maybe to play a few games and get that level of fitness because those boys are complete athletes these days.

“But it’s something I would just grasp with two hands, just to say I’ve been to an Olympics and to tell your kids when they’re young is special.”