Wales must finish in the top two in the Hanover Sevens this weekend to guarantee qualification for the finals in Dubai next March. And Head Coach Baber has warned his side to be on their guard in a pool containing the likes of Ireland and Italy.
Baber said: “It’s vitally important that we qualify for the World Cup for this group of players. We want one of those qualification spots and that’s our aim.
“But we know we can’t take anybody lightly. It’s a competitive competition and there will be lesser nations all looking for a scalp and we are one of those – everyone will be after us.”
Wales have enjoyed a successful Sevens season with preliminary wins in Denmark and Georgia but Baber expects the Dragons to maintain their success in front of a 30,000 crowd in the German city.
He added: “The side have developed well over the season and our last three tournaments have been pleasing. We’ve reached a high standard in our play that we want to continue and grab a qualification place.
“It’s important for the image of Welsh rugby and the development of Sevens within Wales itself. We want to leave a mark on world rugby.”
New Sale Sharks fly half Nick MacLeod has pulled out of the competition with a knee injury sustained in the IRB Series at Twickenham in May.
Baber said: “We’ve monitored Nick’s progress but he has just run out of time to be fit for this tournament. He has great skills and we wanted to give him as much time as possible. It’s not a long-term injury but we hope he recovers in time to play for his new club ahead of the new season.”
And Baber continued to stress that Wales will have to play to their full potential if they are to overcome some of the most competitive sides on the Sevens circuit.
“We have put ourselves in a good position by virtue of winning our two recent tournaments in order to get here in the first place,” he said.
“And the Hanover Sevens promises to be a highly competitive competition with all 12 teams having reached this stage through their own qualifying tournaments.”
Wales are in Pool B alongside Italy, Ukraine, Poland, Belgium and Ireland. Ireland Sevens Coach Jon Skurr has stayed loyal to many of the players who won in Poland and finished runners-up in Denmark to reach the final in Germany.
Cian Aherne, Richard Briggs, James Coughlan, Chris Henry, Seamus Mallon, Conor McPhillips, Andrew Maxwell and international Kieran Campbell all took some part in the previous rounds and the squad is bolstered by the inclusion of Ireland A Churchill Cup players Darren Cave and Ian Keatley, who have both already played for the Sevens team, as well as Keith Earls and Brian Touhy.
“Our minimum goal at the start of this campaign was always to qualify for the World Cup and we have been happy with our performances to get to this point,” said Skurr.
“The squad has developed and improved since our first outing in May but this tournament will require another step up in performance.”
The experienced Irish side represent a major challenge to Baber’s side and the coach said: “We are under no illusions about the standard of other teams such as Ireland who beat us in Denmark, and Italy.”
Wales Sevens Squad: Johnathan Edwards (Capt, Llanelli Scarlets), Lee Beach (Neath), Rhodri McAtee (Cornish Pirates), Lee Williams (Llanelli Scarlets), Martin Roberts (Llanelli Scarlets), James Lewis (Newport Gwent Dragons), Gareth Chapman (Cardiff), Alec Jenkins (London Welsh), James Merriman (Neath), Dafydd Hewitt (Cardiff Blues), Andy Powell (Cardiff Blues), Richie Pugh (Exeter Chiefs)
