Cardiff Blues captain Rhys Williams has been recruited to the Team Wales Sevens.
The 44-times capped international wing adds significant experience to a squad drawn against New Zealand, Kenya and Namibia in the Pool stages of the tournament.
Williams joins players like Jamie Ringer and Gareth Wyatt, who both have around a decade of playing international sevens under their belts, along with fellow full internationals Richie Pugh and Tal Selley. The party also includes plenty of young talent, such as Blues Academy Scrum Half Wayne Evans, Gloucester’s James Merriman, who captained Wales to under-21 Grand Slam glory last season, and Wales under-21 fly half James Hook – the leading points scorer after the first two rounds of the IRB World Series in Dubai and George in 2005.
Gareth Baber – a regular in Welsh squads over the last seven years – will travel Down Under as assistant coach to national sevens coach Dai Rees.
The competition takes place in Melbourne’s Telstra Dome on March 16-17 and the newly-reformed Welsh Sevens set-up has been pitched into Pool A with New Zealand – the defending Commonwealth champions who won their sixth IRB Sevens title last season. Kenya and Namibia make up the remaining spaces in the pool.
Wales re-appeared on the world sevens stage for the first time in three years when the squad helped to kick-off the IRB World Series in Dubai in November 2005.
The Commonwealth Games competition is set to coincide with the 2006 Six Nations tournament and the squad will return to the famous Hong Kong Sevens tournament on their way home from the Games.
Team Wales Director of Operations, David Evans said:
“We are delighted that the WRU have been able to source a squad of players with such a rich blend of youth and experience and it will be fantastic for these players to compete against some of the greatest sevens players in the world. Competing within the highly charged atmosphere of Telstra Dome at the heart of the Games, will no doubt inspire our team as they aim to progress to the final stages in what promises to be a closely contested competition.”
MELBOURNE 2006 RUGBY 7s DRAW
POOL A New Zealand, WALES, Namibia, Kenya
POOL B Fiji, Scotland, Zambia, Canada
POOL C England, Australia, Cook Islands, Sri Lanka
POOL D South Africa, Samoa, Uganda, Tonga
TEAM BIOGS
Jamie RINGER (DRAGONS)
DoB: 18.1.76. 6’3”. 15st 3lbs
International record: 2 caps (W 2)
Tal SELLEY (SCARLETS)
DoB: 20.04.80. 6’0”. 14st 5lbs
International record: 1 cap (W 1; 5 pts – 1T)
Gareth WYATT (DRAGONS)
DoB: 04.03.77. 5’10”. 12st 6lbs
International record: 2 caps (W 2; 5 pts – 1T)
James MERRIMAN (GLOUCESTER)
DoB: 17.01.84. 6’0”. 14st 7lbs
International record: Uncapped
James HOOK (OSPREYS)
DoB: 27.06.85. 6’0”. 12st 10lbs
International record: Uncapped
Lee BEECH (OSPREYS)
DoB: 06.10.82. 6’2”. 16st 8lbs
International record: Uncapped
Jonathan EDWARDS (SCARLETS)
DoB: 08.03.84. 5’11”. 15st 10lbs
International record: Uncapped
Rhodri McATEE (PENZANCE)
DoB: 02.08.84. 5’10”. 12st 8lbs
International record: Uncapped
Jonathan VAUGHTON (OSPREYS)
DoB: 21.01.82. 5’10”. 12st 11lbs
International record: Uncapped
Richie PUGH (OSPREYS)
DoB: 10.08.83 5’11” 14st 7lbs
International Record: Wales 7s / Wales U19 / Wales Youth / Wales U21 / Wales
Rhys WILLIAMS (Blues)
DoB: 23.02.80 5’10” 13st 12lbs
International Record: 44 International caps
Wayne EVANS (Blues)
DoB: 03.06.84 5’ 10” 11st 11lbs
International Record: Uncapped