Two Dragons players have been named in Paul John’s squad to tackle the Hong Kong and Adelaide legs of the IRB Sevens World Series, which begins in Hong Kong next Friday (27 March).
Jimmy Norris and James Lewis, return to the squad whilst Jevon Groves of Cross Keys and Arron Bramwell from Ebbw vale have received their first call-ups to the national side.
There are four uncapped players in the 12-man squad. Groves is joined by Llandovery wing Ifan Evans, back row forwards Michael Collins from the Ospreys and Coventry scrum half Tom Slater, while Pontypridd's Gavin Dacey, also uncapped, will travel as a reserve player.
John said, "This will be a steep learning curve for a number of these players. The majority of our World Cup winning side are unavailable to us which means we don't have the consistency of selection some other nations will enjoy. However, our continued aim is to help develop players into better professional rugby players and the current situation gives the whole squad the opportunity to do that in one of the IRB's most prestigious rugby events.
"Hong Kong is a 24-team tournament over three days, similar to the World Cup which means that only the top team in each Pool is guaranteed a path to the quarter-finals. We have China on the opening night, who will pose a very physical threat, then Japan and England on Day Two. Japan caused us problems when we faced them in San Diego recently, while England will be eager to prove a point after failing to qualify for the Rugby World Cup quarter-finals.
"We were able to take the same side on two tournaments - Wellington and the Rugby World Cup - and the results reflected that selection policy. We are not in the same position ahead of this tournament but the boys have trained well all week and I'm sure when it comes to selecting the squad for Twickenham and Edinburgh, these players will again be pushing for places."
Joe Lydon, WRU Head of Rugby Performance and Development, has wished the Wales Sevens squad well in their bid to build on the achievement of winning the Rugby World Cup Sevens by performing well at the Hong Kong tournament.
"Sevens has proved to be a breeding ground for talent across the world game and we are fortunate in Wales to have players of the calibre who can step in and perform at this level, said Lyndon.
"There is a powerful argument for rotation in order to maximise player development in the Sevens environment, but we cannot ignore the importance of continuity which aids both development and performance in any selected squad.”
Wales Sevens squad for Hong Kong and Adelaide Sevens:
James Merriman (capt, unattached), Arron Bramwell (Ebbw Vale), Rhys Webb (Ospreys), Ifan Evans (Llandovery), Jimmy Norris (Dragons / Bedwas), Tom Slater (Coventry), Will Harries (Northampton), Dai Flanagan (Blues), James Lewis (Dragons / Ebbw Vale), Rhys Shellard (Cardiff), Jevon Groves (Cross Keys), Michael Collins (Ospreys), Gavin Dacey (Pontypridd)
Jimmy Norris and James Lewis, return to the squad whilst Jevon Groves of Cross Keys and Arron Bramwell from Ebbw vale have received their first call-ups to the national side.
There are four uncapped players in the 12-man squad. Groves is joined by Llandovery wing Ifan Evans, back row forwards Michael Collins from the Ospreys and Coventry scrum half Tom Slater, while Pontypridd's Gavin Dacey, also uncapped, will travel as a reserve player.
John said, "This will be a steep learning curve for a number of these players. The majority of our World Cup winning side are unavailable to us which means we don't have the consistency of selection some other nations will enjoy. However, our continued aim is to help develop players into better professional rugby players and the current situation gives the whole squad the opportunity to do that in one of the IRB's most prestigious rugby events.
"Hong Kong is a 24-team tournament over three days, similar to the World Cup which means that only the top team in each Pool is guaranteed a path to the quarter-finals. We have China on the opening night, who will pose a very physical threat, then Japan and England on Day Two. Japan caused us problems when we faced them in San Diego recently, while England will be eager to prove a point after failing to qualify for the Rugby World Cup quarter-finals.
"We were able to take the same side on two tournaments - Wellington and the Rugby World Cup - and the results reflected that selection policy. We are not in the same position ahead of this tournament but the boys have trained well all week and I'm sure when it comes to selecting the squad for Twickenham and Edinburgh, these players will again be pushing for places."
Joe Lydon, WRU Head of Rugby Performance and Development, has wished the Wales Sevens squad well in their bid to build on the achievement of winning the Rugby World Cup Sevens by performing well at the Hong Kong tournament.
"Sevens has proved to be a breeding ground for talent across the world game and we are fortunate in Wales to have players of the calibre who can step in and perform at this level, said Lyndon.
"There is a powerful argument for rotation in order to maximise player development in the Sevens environment, but we cannot ignore the importance of continuity which aids both development and performance in any selected squad.”
Wales Sevens squad for Hong Kong and Adelaide Sevens:
James Merriman (capt, unattached), Arron Bramwell (Ebbw Vale), Rhys Webb (Ospreys), Ifan Evans (Llandovery), Jimmy Norris (Dragons / Bedwas), Tom Slater (Coventry), Will Harries (Northampton), Dai Flanagan (Blues), James Lewis (Dragons / Ebbw Vale), Rhys Shellard (Cardiff), Jevon Groves (Cross Keys), Michael Collins (Ospreys), Gavin Dacey (Pontypridd)
