The Welsh side, who beat both New Zealand and Fiji in the recent Wellington Sevens before losing in the Plate final to South Africa, will have the honour of kicking-off proceedings when they meet Zimbabwe in the first game on 5 March.
But before that competition kicks-off, Wales will travel to the USA for the San Diego leg of the IRB World Sevens Series, and it will be the final opportunity for players to shine and earn selection for March’s Dubai tournament.
One of those players is Scarlets flanker Josh Turnball, capped as an age-grade international and a travelling member of the squad for last weekend’s trip to New Zealand.
“It was great to be involved in Wellington last week with the boys,” he said. “I went there as part of the squad to train with them and be part of everything.
“You’ve got to be a lot more switched on in Sevens, know what the other players around you are doing and use your head a lot more in this game,” he added
Speaking to Total Rugby, Turball continued: “You don’t get that much time to place the ball in the contact area, you get turned over quite easily because you don’t have the numbers there hitting the rucks, it’s a completely different game and I can’t wait to get out there and play.
“I was only a spectator in Wellington but to see the crowds, it was something different, a great party atmosphere and probably something I won’t experience again. I just couldn’t believe how many people were there watching it.”
Representing Wales on home soil at the IRB Junior World Championship 2008 is one of Turnbull’s career highlights so far, including captaining the side against South Africa in the play-off for third place at the Liberty Stadium.
He was also involved in the Under 19 event in Dubai in 2006 and, knowing that the country’s rugby facilities have since experienced something of a make-over with the development of a brand new facility ‘The Sevens’, makes him doubly committed to winning a place to compete in March.
“To be able to go to Dubai again with the Sevens team and experience the World Cup in my first year would be awesome,” he said, while at the same time admitting that he and Wales face two of the best sides in the world on day one at PETCO Park.
“Fiji are going through a bit of a team rebuilding process but they’re obviously one of the giants of the Sevens game and on their day can still be the best in the world. Having seen what Argentina have done this season they fight for everything and are a very very good team and Mexico we don’t know much about but I’m sure will present their own challenges.
“Having not played until this week in San Diego gives me a limited opportunity, but if I play to the best of my ability I’m sure I can maybe catch one of those plane tickets to the World Cup.”
Of the Wales squad that competed in Wellington, Aled Brew, Aled Thomas and Dafydd Hewitt now travel home to be replaced by Turnbull, Jimmy Norris and Chris Czekaj, who makes his first foray into international rugby since suffering an horrific leg injury in June 2007.
Rugby World Cup Sevens Draw
Pool A: New Zealand, Tonga, Arabian Gulf, Italy
Pool B: Fiji, France, USA, Georgia
Pool C: South Africa, Scotland, Canada, Japan
Pool D: Samoa, Australia, Portugal, Ireland
Pool E: England, Kenya, Tunisia, Hong Kong
Pool F: Argentina, Wales, Zimbabwe, Uruguay
