Six of the players featured in the recent HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series, including core Wales Sevens players Lloyd Evans, Owen Jenkins and Ben Roach.
Coach Richie Pugh says he’s happy with the mix in the squad: “We’ve got players with strong World Series experience joined by the Development boys from the Premiership clubs who’ve been training with us for a long time.”
The core players retained for this weekend’s Rugby Europe action were chosen in close consultation with the physiotherapy and S&C team, Pugh explains. “It’s a case of finding a balance and what’s right for the players. We’ll use our core players as we see fit,” he says, adding that they will drop into the squad where necessary to enhance the development of the less experienced members of the team.
“Some boys need a rest because they had a lot of game time, while some – like Lloyd Evans – are hitting form, and we want him to continue with that, giving him more opportunity to keep playing.”
An intriguing pool in Moscow will see Wales take on Ireland, Germany and Georgia: three nations very much in the ascendancy in the international sevens game.
“We’re familiar with Ireland after having a couple of training battles with them,” says Pugh, with the Irish joining them in camp late last year at the Vale. “They’ve got a strong programme at the moment, so they’re going to be a very tough team. They’ve got aspirations of being on the World Series next year, along with Germany, who are one game away from being on the World Series.
“Germany were the form team in the Hong Kong qualifiers and Rugby Europe is the big tournament for them, so they’ll be formidable. Georgia are a bit of an unknown, but they’re normally a strong team on this stage, so it’s an exciting, tough pool, but one in which we’ll be looking to challenge.”
It’s not just on the field that Wales are developing their players. Powerhouse forward Adam Thomas – who captained Wales in their final World Series outing of the season at Twickenham, where he scored his 50th try – will be prowling the touchlines instead in Moscow as Pugh’s assistant coach.
“It’s part of Adam’s ongoing development, pushing him through his career,” Pugh says of Wales’ most senior player. “He’s still very much a Wales Sevens player, but he’s making a smart transition, thinking ahead, and he’ll be involved in player development and helping us coach the U18s also.”
Wales squad for Moscow Sevens
1 Chay Smith (Newport)
2 Max George (Cross Keys/Penalta)
3 Joe Jenkins (Swansea)
4 Lloyd Evans (Wales Sevens)
5 Owen Jenkins (Wales Sevens)
6 Stef Andrews (Aberavon)
7 Jacob Flynn (Aberavon)
8 Gwion Jones (Carmarthen Quins/Pontyberem)
9 Daf Smith (Cardiff and Vale College)
10 Ben Roach (Wales Sevens)
11 Elliot Frewen (Newport)
12 Lloyd Lewis (Newport Gwent Dragons)
For more information about Rugby Europe’s Men’s Sevens Grand Prix Series (including fixture times), click here.
