By Jack Miller, Sportsbeat

GLOUCESTER Rugby 7s starlet Steph Reynolds insists his side will not be handing over their Singha Premiership Rugby 7s trophy without a fight, as they look to defend the title for a third time on Friday.

As two-times reigning champions, the Cherry & Whites will take some beating after winning all three of their matches at the Singha 7s southern leg at Kingsholm last Thursday.

Reynolds skippered the hosts and led the way for Gloucester, being named man of the round and set the tone for the evening with a double in their opening 36-5 victory over Exeter Chiefs.

Two more victories over London Irish and Bath Rugby followed, and Reynolds believes on that kind of form his side will be very hard to beat.

“I thought the boys did very well at Kingsholm last week,” he said. “Three wins from three matches, and all of those being bonus point wins, is a very good result.

“But we all know the job is only half done, and there is a lot of pressure on us being the two-time defending champions, so we’ll need to go down to Twickenham Stoop on Friday night and play our best rugby.

“There is a little bit more pressure on us. Obviously on Thursday night there was 13,000 fans at Kingsholm for us, and they are going to come down to Twickenham in their droves.

“We’ll need to put in a good performance for them. They were like a eighth man last week, and it will be great to see as many of them as possible again at the Stoop this week.

“To win this trophy for a third time would be a massive boost for the boys, and talking to them this week everyone is really gunning for it.

“This is the first chance for us to go out and put the marker down from the rest of the season, and lifting the trophy the last two years was an amazing feeling. All we want is to do it again.”

There were 163 tries in the group stages and the excitement is set to continue in Friday’s final round as Harlequins, Wasps, Gloucester Rugby, Exeter Chiefs, Newcastle Falcons, Sale Sharks, Scarlets and Newport Gwent Dragons battling it out for the first silverware of the club season.

First up for Gloucester at Friday’s final showpiece are home side Harlequins, and Reynolds admits they will prove a stern test with the roar of the Twickenham Stoop faithful behind them.

But he believes the real contenders this year are Wasps, after they swept aside all comers in Group C with a star-studded line-up including England internationals Elliot Daly and Christian Wade.

He said: “Watching them the other night, Wasps look like they could be the team to beat, and Newcastle looked pretty sharp as well.

“But we’ve got a tough test against Harlequins to start with, and they got out of a very tricky group with Wasps, Saracens and Northampton Saints.

“They are in front of a home crowd, but it will be our first game of the final too and we’ll be raring to go as much as they are.

“I do really enjoy playing in the 7s and I am relishing the role I have within this side.

“When I come in at the start of preseason, the first thing I always look for is the 7s dates. I like going out there and helping Gloucester put on a show, so I’m really looking forward to it again on Friday night.”

The Singha Premiership Rugby 7s Series Final is at the Twickenham Stoop on 28 August. Tickets are £10 for adults and £5 for children from http://bit.ly/1hvtNOp