The Marston’s GB7s is the highest standard of sevens competition outside of full internationals and promises a day of fast, entertaining, action-packed sport.
Round 1 sees past, current and future international players battling in a custom-designed tournament that guarantees every match is competitive. A more traditional knockout format gives a tournament winner on the day and every match also attracts league points which accumulate across the three week series to decide the British Champions.
And with the first leg in north Wales attracting a number of top stars, it looks sure to be an event which further boosts the profile of rugby in the area. Evans is joined in the Samurai team by fellow Welsh squad members Sam Cross, Will Thomas and Geraint Walsh.
The eight-team British Premier League competition includes Crawshays Welsh, who have named Wales’s IRB outside half Rhys Jones in their side.
Jones was part of the Wales sevens squad that enjoyed a hugely successful tournament in Hong Kong earlier in the year and is among many players eager to impress national selectors ahead of the Sevens World Cup in Moscow at the end of June.
Crawshays’ coach Gareth Williams, who is the Wales Sevens assistant coach, has also called up Llandovery School boys Owen Howe and Chris Williams alongside Rhys’s younger brother Dorian who has just been selected for GB Students.
Saturday’s tournament at Eirias is one of three one-day men’s tournaments supported by a Sky broadcast agreement with women’s tournaments being introduced in 2014, ahead of the Glasgow Commonwealth Games.
Rupert Moon, General Manager of Rygbi Gogledd Cymru, is looking forward to the event.
“Rugby is getting stronger and stronger in North Wales. We’re building an exciting future here,” he said.
“So much has been achieved already and it is great to see local boys like Iolo Evans stepping up to the national sevens squad. I hope the GB7s inspires more promising athletes to follow players like Alex Cuthbert and Justin Tipuric to international success.”
Tickets for the Parc Eirias leg of the British Premier League Rugby Sevens are available from the ground priced at £5 for adults and children under 16 go free. The first match kicks off at 10.50 in the morning with the final game scheduled for 7.00pm.
