Allan: Hitting form vital for England

Hi Claire, congrats on finishing third in Atlanta - every round seems incredibly tough now, how did you find it and were you satisfied with the overall England performance?Many thanks. Myself and the girls really enjoyed Atlanta, our pool was tough, but so is every pool on the World Series this season! After a disappointing tournament in São Paulo, it was really important for us to hit form in Atlanta. In parts we showed some real progression in our game, but as always, there is room for improvement which we'll be looking to work on in Langford this weekend.

The win against Australia seemed to set the tone for the weekend - in an Olympic year how important mentally are those wins against the sides who are right at the top?The Australians have consistently displayed outstanding sevens on the circuit this year and at the moment, they are the team to beat. We took a lot of confidence from our pool game win as it shows we are capable of competing with the top sides. However, the next goal for us is maintaining this confidence with a view to reach a tournament final.We have been working hard back home to expand our game plan, and I think that paid off in Atlanta. It is still very much a work in progress though, and we are far from the finished article.

And despite the disappointment of losing to NZ, the final game against Canada was superb - how well does that set you up for this weekend and how do you feel going into it?Losing to NZ in the semi was obviously disappointing. We were slow to start and didn't hit the ground running, credit to the Kiwi's performance, they took their chances and deserved to win that game.The third/fourth playoff can sometimes be a hard match to pick yourself up for, especially when facing a strong Canadian side. But finishing the tournament with a win showed that we are capable of bouncing back after a tough loss.The pool draw is relatively kind this weekend (easy for us to say that obviously) how do you feel about the sides you're up against - what do you expect from them?Unfortunately there is no such thing as an easy pool draw these days! It will be a big test for us, as all the sides in our pool have very different styles of play, so adapting to that is often the hardest thing to do.

Canada are an extremely fit and well-drilled squad, with world class set piece. I don't think I've ever left the field anything short of exhausted after playing them!

Ireland are natural and streetwise rugby players. They've got extensive XVs experience and some really threatening ball carriers. England vs Ireland is always a huge game whether it's in sevens or XVs, I've no doubt Saturday won't be any different.

Japan is a side we haven't come up against as often as Canada and Ireland, but having played them in Brazil, I'm expecting high energy and fast tempo in both attack and defence.You're playing a really influential role in England's defence at the moment - it's an area of the game you seem to relish?I definitely enjoy the defensive element of sevens. With the amount of space you are expected to cover, it really means you have to trust your team mates, and ultimately back yourself to make your one on ones. I've been playing alongside most of the squad since we were kids, which undoubtedly helps the defensive connection we have in our team.How hard are the back to back tournaments and tell is a bit about what this week looks like for England?Back to back tournaments can be very hard going, especially with a flight to the next leg the day after playing. I thank strong coffee and team card games for getting me through Sunday!

This week so far has mainly involved rest and recovery protocols. We have been in the gym for off-feet sessions and explosive power work. I'm looking forward to getting back out on the training pitch this afternoon for some skills, as the focus shifts back onto rugby and preparation for the weekend.

Away from the series itself - how is it going back in England integrating the Welsh and Scottish players into the squad and how do you think gelling as a unit is going given how little time you have to do it before Rio?Before the GB programme started, I was unsure how it was going to pan out and how the squads would integrate, as it had never been done before. However, it’s really refreshing to train and compete alongside a different mix of players. There is never a dull moment with Jasmine Joyce in your changing room!

The GB squad competed in last month’s Las Vegas and Vancouver tournaments, which was another step towards unifying the squad. There are also several invitational tournaments between now and Rio for us all to play together.