England Sevens may have already earned themselves qualification to the Rio Olympics next summer, but Dan Bibby insists the side still have it all to play for.

The 24-year-old and his England teammates booked themselves a spot on the flight to Brazil in 2016 on behalf of Great Britain, thanks to a fourth-place finish in the HSBC Sevens World Series.

That was sealed at the home of English rugby, Twickenham, in the final leg of the season last month, in front of a sold-out crowd of 80,000.

But now with the European sevens series in full swing, and England's home leg in Exeter looming this weekend, Bibby is adamant the side cannot afford to let their standards slip on the road to Rio.

"It will be a tournament that is really keenly contested," said the fly-half, a member of the England team at last year’s Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

"You’ve got France and Spain who are really fighting for the top position to qualify for the Olympics themselves, and whoever wins out of those two, it will be a good match.

"Sevens is now a lot more in the limelight and there is a lot of focus on next year.

"It is really exciting and it’s only going to be good for the game. A lot more young boys are now coming through the system and really enjoying sevens, and a lot more money is being invested to get people playing.

"I can’t wait to get out and play at the Exeter Sevens, as getting the home crowd at Twickenham was incredible earlier this year. 

"That atmosphere made the hairs on the back of your neck stand up when you ran out, and it took a few minutes just to focus on the game! We were so proud to qualify for the Olympics there.

"And now Exeter is our home tournament again. I’ve never been there before, but I love watching Exeter Chiefs on the TV as they always get an amazing crowd. I hope we can put on a show for them."

© Sportsbeat 2015