They may not be the fittest or most gifted rugby players but when it comes to team bonding the Stadlen clan believe they can tackle anyone.

Seven family members will scrum down together in a tournament in East Grinstead this weekend.

The players range in age from 17 to 55. Two of them have barely played in 30 years.

The Stadlens will face the likes of Blackheath and London Welsh in the Sunshine Sevens charity tournament and are under no illusions about their prospects.

Jonathan, 26, the team organiser, admitted: "We are going to get completely slaughtered."

He will be joined by brother Paul, 24, who played alongside him for East Grinstead Rugby Club, plus their first cousins Godfrey, 55, and Nick, 53.

Completing the line-up are Nick's sons Matt, 24, Will, 22, and Tommy, 17.

They are believed to be the first all-related sevens team covering two generations.

Jonathan came up with the idea after watching England win last year's World Cup with his family.

While England's warhorses proved in that tournament that age was no barrier to success on the rugby field, it may count against the Stadlens.

Jonathan, a TV producer, said: "We all met up for the Six Nations and the World Cup and said one day we'd have enough members for a team.

"We then realised we'd have enough for a sevens team but Godfrey was the hardest to persuade.

"Godfrey and Nick have not played rugby for 38 years and 36 years respectively so we have put them in the forwards.

"Tommy usually plays as a forward but he's so small we have had to put him in the backs.

"Paul and I used to play for East Grinstead and I played in London for a season and for a social team when I lived in Paris for a year. Only Tommy plays week in, week out.

"We have been training every Saturday.

"There have been lots of arguments. We cannot decide who's going to be captain. We almost came to blows in the first session.

"We are getting people joining in from the park who have never played before and who are better than us."

Jonathan's and Paul's mother Pamela, who lives in East Grinstead, said: "I'm looking forward to going along and offering support."

The competition on Sunday will raise money for the National Kidney Research Fund.

The team will be filmed for the BBC's Rugby Special programme.