POOLE-born Amy Wilson Hardy has been named in a 12-strong England squad for the final leg of the HSBC World Rugby Women’s Sevens in Paris.

Abbie Brown will captain the Lions which includes a number of players who contributed towards England’s bronze medal success at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games earlier this season.

Wilson Hardy, Claire Allan, Emily Scarratt and Holly Aitchinson all make their returns after recovering from injury.

England have been drawn in Pool A and kick off the tournament on Friday with games against New Zealand, Ireland and Wales at the Stade Jean-Bouin.

“We were unfortunate to lose some talented and experienced players through injury over the past couple of months so it’s really pleasing to have the likes of Claire, Emily, Holly and Amy rejoin the squad for this final leg of the World Series,” said England Women Sevens head coach James Bailey.

“As a squad that came together in a relatively short space of time, I am really proud of what has been achieved and of the continuous effort and attitude that the squad have demonstrated throughout the season.

“The group has trained exceptionally hard since the last tournament in Langford where we saw some promising performances against some really tough teams.

“Paris is a pivotal competition for us with it being the last major event before the Rugby World Cup Sevens in July so we’re really looking forward to seeing what the team can deliver.”

The HSBC Paris Sevens is the sixth and final leg of the World Series in which England are currently ranked eighth.

Following the HSBC Paris Sevens, the squad will return to their training base at Bisham Abbey where they will begin preparations for the Rugby World Cup Sevens which take place between July 20 and 22 in San Francisco.