Sanderson, 24, is joined in the England squad by two of his team-mates from the Stoop; fellow full international Nick Duncombe and speedster Ben Gollings.

"The games will be huge for me," said Sanderson, back in his old stomping ground of Greater Manchester. "I am back home and in front of my family and friends, yet I would never have expected being part of the squad earlier in the season following the injuries that I've had."

A blood clot in his knee caused all sorts of problems for Sanderson, including missing sevens trips to Chile and Argentina in the New Year. However, the Chester born star returned for the Welsh leg of the IRB World Sevens Series, which put him back in contention for the Commonwealth Games.

"We've set our sights on winning the gold and we won't be happy with any of medal. We are in a tough group with the likes of Samoa and the quarterfinals could see us against Fiji or Australia, but we've beaten those teams regularly on the sevens circuit this season and we know what to expect."

"When you enter a competition you enter it to win, and it is an achievable
target for us."

England begin their quest for gold a week on Friday (2nd August) with the final scheduled for the last day of the games on Sunday 4th August.