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Wales Sevens Gearing Up For Action

Wales Sevens Gearing Up For Action

Wales will face England in Pool B of the Emirates Airline Dubai Rugby Sevens tournament which gets underway on 6 December.

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Canada, whose Test XV recently lost to Wales, are also included in Pool B, along with an Arabian Gulf team.

But all the sides involved know that it is holders New Zealand who will be the side to beat.

The Kiwis won gold at the Commonwealth Games in Manchester, and start as favourites to lift their fourth successive Dubai title when the action gets underway on 6 December.

It is the first leg of 11 tournaments comprising the IRB World Sevens Series, that ends in Cardiff in mid-June.

The All Blacks are drawn with South Pacific neighbours Samoa, France and minnows Sri Lanka in the first of four pools.

Crowd pleaser Fiji, who last won in the desert state in 1998, face Argentina, Italy and Namibia.

The final pool sees South Africa, coached by former Springbok wing Chester Williams, take on Australia, Morocco and Kenya.

The IRB reinstated Dubai as a venue for the Sevens Series last month, after it was withdrawn in 2001 when several teams pulled out for security reasons following the September 11 attacks.

Wales: Gareth Williams (Bridgend, captain), Will Kershaw-Naylor (Bristol), Rhys Jones (Newport), Nick Wakley (Ebbw Vale), Liam Roberts (Cardiff), Paul Jones (Bridgend), Paul Collett (Newbridge), Craig Richards (Bridgend), Mike Phillips (Llanelli), Nathan Palmer (Newport), Llyr Lane (Newport), Nicky Jones (Carmarthen Quins)

Mr David Rees – Team Manager

Mr Colin Hillman – Team Coach

Ms Iona Morgan – Team Physio

Pool A: New Zealand, Samoa, France, Sri Lanka.
Pool B: England, Wales, Canada, Arabian Gulf.
Pool C: Fiji, Argentina, Italy, Namibia.
Pool D: South Africa, Australia, Morocco, Kenya.

Go to Sevens section

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