ROB Vickerman has revealed that the lure of Olympic gold was one of the main reasons behind his decision to leave Newcastle Falcons and go full-time with the England Sevens squad.
The abbreviated form of the game will not feature next year in London, but will be a fully-fledged medal event in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro games.
Already a regular draw in the Commonwealth Games, Vickerman said: “The major multi-sport events like that are a different world, and it’s every athlete’s dream to compete in that sort of arena.
“It’s five years away yet, but the Olympics is definitely a target of mine. As it gets closer the talk will get much louder, and it is an exciting time for the sport.”
Scoring three tries in his 32 appearances over two years as a Falcons player, the Yorkshireman admits it was a wrench to leave Kingston Park, having received an offer to extend his stay on Tyneside.
“It was a pretty tough decision,” said the 25-year-old, after an ankle problem limited his involvement this season to just five starts and three bench outings.
“I had been trying to get fit for most of the year, and when I finally got my chance towards the end of the season I was determined to prove myself. I managed to get back into the starting line-up and had a contract offered, and so there was a big decision to be made.
“In the end I had a long chat with both the Newcastle head coach Alan Tait and the England Sevens coach Ben Ryan, and I was left with the feeling that I just couldn’t miss out on this opportunity.
“As tough as it was to leave Newcastle, it was never something that was motivated by money. I just felt I could really develop by making the switch, and sevens is something that I love.”
Rugby’s seven-a-side code is still played on a full-size pitch in two halves of seven minutes, with the International Rugby Board (IRB) Sevens Series seeing tournaments all over the world played over two days.
England are currently second behind New Zealand in the 2010-11 standings with two events left to play, although Vickerman has already ruled himself out of the season-ending visits to London and Edinburgh over the next fortnight.
He said: “My fitness is not quite up to sevens level yet and I didn’t want to run around like a mug at Twickenham live on TV, so I am holding off until next season.”
Training Monday to Thursday with the Sevens squad at their London base, Vickerman will then head back to Yorkshire for weekends, where he could well end up featuring in 15s for ex-club Leeds Carnegie when his schedule allows. “There is training throughout September, October and November, and then you are straight in to the IRB series,” he said, with preparations for next month’s wedding to fiancée Gemma currently occupying his mind. “Sevens has always needed that kind of structure to prosper, and now that it is in place it is going to be exciting to be involved again.”
Insisting he carries no regrets from his two seasons in the North East, Vickerman added: “It is a club that is going places, and I loved my time there.
“I actually got fined in my first court session for seeming like I had been there six years, when I had only just arrived – but that is how at-home I felt. I fully embraced it, I will take fond memories with me and I have parted on good terms.
“I had a long chat with the co-owner Semore Kurdi last week about the future plans for the club, and the Falcons’ supporters have some exciting times to look forward to with the signings that are in the pipeline.”
