Penguins hope sevens skills can bring glory in Tens
Defending champions are banking on a combination of short-form specialists and strong 15s talent to help them retain title
Christian Lewis-Pratt believes he and England sevens colleagues Mark Odejobi and Callum Wilson can follow in the footsteps of their former teammates and help title-holders Penguins win the GFI HKFC Tens.
Second seeds Samurai, who lost to Penguins in last year's final, have England Sevens duo Chris Cracknell and winger Mat Turner in their line-up, along with Ben Gollings, the all-time top scorer on the HSBC Sevens World Series and a four-time Hong Kong Sevens winner.
Tana Umaga, head coach of the BGC Dragons for a third straight year, confirmed that Australia legend George Smith, who won his 111th cap for Australia last July, will play for the 2012 champions, seeded third.
Umaga, who is also overseeing the seventh-seeded Carinat Dragons, listed giant Wallaby flanker Radike Samo, "Samoan Bulldozer" Alesana Tuilagi, Fiji legend Rupeni Caucaunibuca, Tonga captain Nili Latu and Fiji Sevens duo Jasa Veremalua and Leo Naikasau in his first-team squad.
Tonga flanker Hale T. Pole, who played in the 2007 World Cup, and George Stowers, who played at the 2011 World Cup after a decade representing Samoa, are two of the experienced heads selected in the Carinat Dragons line-up.
Lewis-Pratt, the fifth-highest points scorer on last season's Sevens World Series, believes the inclusion of sevens specialists alongside experienced 15s players could again prove a winning formula for Penguins, after England duo Chris Brightwell and James Lightfoot-Brown played key roles in the team's victory last year.
"Chris and James were shocked by how good the standard was," said the 23-year-old fly half, who is joined by fellow back Wilson, a powerful wing, and Odejobi, a former winger converted to a forward.
