Four Dragons join Wales as they travel to the coastal town of George for this weekend's South Africa leg of the IRB Sevens World Series, hoping to put behind them some below par performances which resulted in their Dubai exit in the semi final of the Bowl.
James Lewis, Tal Selley, Jimmy Norris and Jason Tovey have each been named in the squad as well as two players from Newport RFC.
Ahead of the challenge, Wales sevens coach Paul John pointed to poor technique for his side’s 24-0 loss to Portugal in the Bowl semi final:
“We have to regroup for the George tournament and really go for it. The boys have to show what they can do. We simply didn’t protect the ball and we missed far too many one-on-one tackles. I think too that we lost our defensive shape,” he added.
Wales’ final tally in last weekend’s Emirates Airline Sevens, staged at the brand new stadium that will host the IRB Sevens World Cup in March, was two wins from five game.
On Friday Wales defeated Zimbabwe to secure third finishing place in their pool after losing to New Zealand and Australia. Then on the second day Wales had an easy win over hosts Arabian Gulf to progress to the Bowl semi finals.
But then a disastrous display against Portugal left Wales with a reality check.
Wales, however, have the opportunity to set the record straight when they meet Portugal in the pool stages of the South Africa Sevens. The other sides in Wales’ pool are Samoa and Kenya, the latter showing impressive form in Dubai.
Undoubtedly it was difficult for the new-look Wales team to compete against the settled sides that most countries have opted for in this World Cup season.
Worryingly Wales have just over three months to sort out their problems in Sevens and to decide on their selection for the World Cup.
Next weekend in George, however, will be apart of that process.
Wales Sevens Squad: James Merriman (capt, Neath), David Flanagan (Blues), James Lewis (Dragons), Tal Selley (Dragons), Jimmy Norris (Dragons), Jason Tovey (Dragons), Rhodri McAtee (Cornish Pirates), Dave Evans (Neath), Tom Isaacs (Newport), Damien Welch (Cardiff), Chris Davies (Aberavon), Craig Hill (Newport)
