Sussex star Tom set for 50th England rugby sevens cap

Bowen has had a substantial career so far which will now see him earn a milestone very few manage to achieve.

Bowen had first picked up at rugby ball at aged six at Lewes Rugby Club. He had gradually caught the eye of many, among them Leicester Tigers, who took him on in their academy.

In 2012 he moved away from the club to get minutes at Plymouth Albion and made good use of them. Originally a centre, he switched to the wing and scored six tries in 18 appearances in the RFU Championship.

He became Plymouth’s young player of the season in two consecutive seasons and top try scorer in the 2013-14 season. Bowen deservedly got his plane ticket to Gold Coast, Australia, where he made his England sevens debut in October 2014.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, sport was scrapped which meant the now 28-year-old had no competitive rugby to play. He teamed up with England teammate Megan Jones and started teaching rugby and fitness, both online and in schools.

The pandemic had caused chaos in the sporting community which pushed the Tokyo Olympics 2020 to summer 2021. And Bowen was confirmed as a reserve in the Great Britain rugby sevens squad for the delayed Olympics.

Bowen will be looking to add to his try scoring portfolio in Spain to mark his 50th cap in style.

England men’s Sevens head coach Tony Roques has named a strong squad for the Sevens, which run from today to Sunday. England take on Fiji, Scotland and Dubai winners South Africa.