The second round of the HSBC Sevens World Series 2014/15 will be staged on December 5-6.
Wales are hoping to build from their encouraging display in the opening round of the series where they reached the quarter-finals of the Gold Coast Sevens before bowing out to eventual tournament champions, Fiji.
Wales Team Manager Steff Thomas was encouraged by the form his young side displayed in Australia and is adamant his players picked up some valuable lessons along the way.
“We were really impressed with the boys in Australia with what was basically a very young and inexperienced side at this level,” said Thomas who is in his first year with the team after taking over from long-serving Dai Jenkins.
“The boys definitely learned a lot from the tournament with the most important thing being that on our day we can compete with the best teams in the world.
“We played South Africa, New Zealand and Fiji and gave a good account of ourselves against all of them. The pool game against South Africa was there for the taking while in the quarter-final against Fiji, we were only 14-10 down with three minutes to play.
“But we kicked the ball away and Fiji didn’t concede possession for the rest of the game and scored three tries in the process. It was a harsh lesson for the boys but they now know possession is key in Sevens. And not only that, but you have to be alert at all times with and without the ball.”
Wales will tackle South Africa, Gold Coast Shield winners Canada and Portugal in Dubai but Thomas is hopeful of another good performance.
“Gold Coast showed that reaching the quarter-finals stands you in good stead for the following tournament as you are seeded significantly better. The boys made good progress in Australia but the bottom line is we need to kick on from there and aim for a semi-final spot in Dubai.
“With a blend of experience and youth the boys are looking ahead to Dubai with enthusiasm and excitement and I see no reason why they can’t replicate the form shown in Australia,” he added.
Wales Sevens training squad for Dubai
Jevon Groves (7’s and Blues)
Jason Harries (7’s and Carmarthen Quins)
Sion Bennett (Scarlets)
Sam Cross (7’s and Newport)
Craig Price (Scarlets)
Lloyd Evans (Ospreys)
James Benjamin (Dragons)
Tomos Williams (Blues)
Rhodri Davies (Scarlets)
Lee Williams (7’s and Carmarthen Quins)
Steff Jones (Dragons)
Sam Evans (Llanelli)
Will Harries (Esher)
Aled Jenkins (Ospreys)
Tom Williams (Blues)
Luke Morgan (Dragons)
Alex Webber (7’s and Pontypridd)
Harri Davies (Blues)
Chris Knight (7’s and Blues)
