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Gatland visit fires up Dragons

Fiji Times - Saturday, December 01, 2007 6:00 AM

Wales are no longer an unknown quantity on the IRB Sevens World Series, their strong performances last season seeing them rewarded with elevation to a core member status and being tipped by Nigel Starmer-Smith as a dark horse to keep an eye out for.

However while these factors will not change coach Dai Rees' philosophy on selection with the emphasis still remaining on player development, Wales are definitely keen to secure a first ever Cup title before the season is out.

"Every team is wary of us now. We won trophies, Plates, Bowls, etc in the first two years and I went on record as saying what we were looking for was semi-finals and we achieved two of those at the end of last season," Rees told irbsevens.com.

"Having said that we are very similar in terms of our squad with a blend of experience. We use it a certain way, we are not here to pick our best 15-a-side players and try and win tournaments, we are here to develop players and in the process finish as high up as we can in the IRB Series.

"The guys have set a goal of perhaps being the first Welsh squad to take a Cup home at some stage this season."

The Welsh squad could have no better incentive than to do this at the Dubai Sevens this weekend as Warren Gatland will be in attendance as he stops off en route from his native New Zealand to become the new national team coach of Wales.

"It is always great to think that the national coach is paying an interest in the development side of the game. It is a big thrill for the guys," added Rees.