After an ultimately disappointing London tournament at Twickenham last weekend, in which Wales lost to Australia in the Bowl final, Baber is looking for a final push from his squad at the Murrayfield event.
IRB Audio: Wales Sevens Coach Gareth Baber on the Edinburgh Sevens
“It was frustrating not making the quarter-finals of the Cup at Twickenham. The players had just come off a long period of fifteens rugby and maybe were not quite up to the mark. But there are no excuses this weekend,” said former Wales Sevens scrum half Baber.
He added: “In a way, last weekend mirrored our whole season. What we are seeking is consistency. We’ve got a less tough group than we did at Twickenham so we’ve set out our stall to reach the quarter-finals of the Cup.”
Wales play Spain, Canada and then finish their pool matches by facing Samoa, the winners last weekend at Twickenham and regarded as one of the top Sevens nations in the world.
Spain should not prevent a barrier to Wales’s progress but the Spaniards ought not be written off as lightweights in this world field. Last weekend in London, Spain showed some impressive skills both in attack and defence against the better sides.
“We want to lay down a marker against Spain before we play Canada,” added Baber. “We played the Canadians last week so we know them very well. They’re a robust side and play a very physical game.
“We need to nail the first two games to make sure of Cup qualification. We’ve got a game plan for Samoa. They’re very experienced Sevens players: they are good at analysing the opposition and construct their tactics accordingly. But I think we can match them physically and for tactical nous. They have no real gas but they have power and are skilful game breakers,” observed Baber.
Wales have made one change from last weekend for the Murrayfield finale, with Llanelli’s Lee Williams replacing Martin Roberts. Tal Selley, named in the 13 man squad for London and Edinburgh, has now recovered from injury that prevented his playing at Twickenham and is expected to be a key player at Murrayfield.
Wales Sevens squad for Edinburgh Sevens – May 31st / June 1st
Johnathan Edwards (Captain, Scarlets), Richie Pugh (Cardiff), Dafydd Hewitt (Blues), Andy Powell (Blues), James Merriman (Neath), Lee Williams (Llanelli), Rhodri McAtee (Cornish Pirates), Aled Thomas (Dragons), Nick MacLeod (Blues), Will Harries (Northampton Saints), James Lewis (Dragons), Aled Brew (Ospreys), Tal Selley (Dragons)
