GB7s squads named for Valladolid

Kaleem Baretto makes his return to the sevens stage, the former Olympian having recovered from injuries that have kept him out of the game for almost two years.

Scotland Sevens players Roan Frostwick, Matt Davidson, Jacob Henry and Josh Radcliffe join Baretto in the men’s squad, alongside Glasgow Warriors Pro-Academy player Ben Salmon.

There are seven changes to the women’s squad from the group that travelled to Hong Kong. Evelyn Clarke, Courtney Greenway, Chantelle Miell, Hanna Tudor, Georgie Lingham, Solana Shaw de Leon and Hannah Bluck all come into the squad which is co-captained by Abbie Brown and Katie Shillaker.

To keep their place in the World Championship, Great Britain must finish in the top eight of the 12-team league, with both the men and women currently in 10^th with two rounds to go.

Beattie said: “This weekend is hugely important. We need to make sure we’re finishing in the top eight. It’s a tough task, in sevens at this level there’s fine margins and we feel we’ve been inches away on some occasions.

“There’s a fair number of changes again for the women, with a little bit of consistency too. It’s great to see Ellie Boatman return for her second tournament, she’s a world class sevens player so her getting going will be vital. They got their first win in Hong Kong so hopefully they can get some confidence from that and go well in these last two.

“From a men’s point of view, Kaleem Baretto returns after talks of never playing again, and that’s down to really hard work in the background and bags of determination from him. He’s added so much energy and experience which is great to lean on in the build up to critical tournaments.

MELROSE, SCOTLAND – MAY 23: The Scottish Thistles Celebrate during a Howden Melrose Sevens match at The Greenyards, on May 23, 2026, in Melrose, Scotland. (Photo by Mark Scates / SNS Group)

Reflecting on last weekend’s Melrose Sevens where a men’s Scottish Thistles side was victorious while the women’s squad won three of their four games and missed out on a place in the final on points difference, Beattie added: “Just from touching base with the players after it, a lot of the men’s team are still pinching themselves. They’ve said it’s the best rugby experience of their life so far, and the most difficult too which is great. We wanted to bring the Scottish Sevens programme to life on the biggest stage in Scotland, and we certainly did that.”

Schedule:

Men’s

Friday 29 May

11.34: South Africa v GB7s
3.46: Australia v GB7s

Saturday 30 May

12.01: Kenya v Great Britain

Women’s

Friday 29 May

12.18: France v GB7s
4.40pm: Canada v GB7s

Saturday 30 May

10.33: Spain v Great Britain

Men’s Squad