Next Home Game - Manchester Sat 11th Oct 08

ESHER wing Richard Briggs is aiming to book his ticket to the 2009 World Cup Sevens finals this weekend. The 26-year-old flier is in Ireland’s squad for a 12-team qualifying tournament in Hanover. The Irish are third seeds and a top-five finish will clinch a place in the Finals in Dubai next February. Selection is a huge boost for Briggs, who missed most of Esher’s first season in National One after surgery on a dislocated ankle. Briggs said: “I was gutted to miss almost the whole season. I returned in January but it still wasn’t right and I had quite a lot of pain still. “So I wasn’t back really until the last three games of the season. It was quite a traumatic time. “But the ankle is a lot better now. It’s still very stiff in the morning but I’m not getting any pain from it any more. “Hopefully this will be a much better season for me with Esher and I can repay their faith in me and play a big part in things.” Briggs admits he still gets stick from his Esher team-mates over his Irish connections. Born in Reading, Briggs qualifies through one of his grandmothers and only stepped on Irish soil for the first time last year. He said: “I had played in a couple of Sevens tournaments and then got a call last year inviting me to an Ireland training session. “I’ve played in a couple of the tournaments in May and now we need a top-five place to qualify for Dubai. “But we are going out there with the intention of winning it. “It’s exciting times and it will be fantastic to play in the finals in Dubai.” Ireland finished runners-up to Wales in the stage one event in Denmark before winning the next tournament in Poland in May. Briggs added: “There is quite a big gulf between sides like us and Wales and the developing countries. “I’d be very disappointed if we didn’t qualify as winners but we must make sure we go in with the right approach.”

ITALY star Matteo Barbini has vowed to repay Esher’s faith in him this season following his injury nightmare. The 16-capped centre played just five games in the club’s National One debut campaign after suffering an horrific broken foot in pre-season. Two top consultants warned Barbini he might never play again after a triple metatarsal fracture in the August clash with London Irish. But he fought back to make his Esher debut in March and signed a 12-month contract extension at the end of a season that saw Esher finish 12^th. Barbini, 26, now has his sights set on keeping Esher in National One and forcing his way back into the international reckoning. He admitted: “I feel I owe Esher a lot for the way they stood by me and I was treated very well by everyone at the club. “Injuries are all part of rugby but it was so disappointing to be out for nearly seven months. “It was a really bad year but I can forget about that now as I’ve recovered completely from the injury. “Pre-season training is going very well and there are a lot of new faces so we are hoping for a good season. “I was glad to sign a new contract because I want to play well for Esher and help them stay in Division One. “I played five times at the end of the season and was getting back to somewhere near 100 per cent in the last couple of matches. “But hopefully I’ll be totally ready for our first league game against Exeter on August 30.” Barbini hopes his performances with Esher will catch the eye of Italy coach Nick Mallett. He added: “I don’t want to close any doors and if I play well then something might happen. “I played with Italy for four years and they keep in touch but I’ve been out for a long time so we’ll just have to see. “My priority is just to play well and get into Esher’s first team.