Champions rebuild from scratch

Dubai: While the teams playing in next month's Emirates Airline Dubai Rugby Sevens will have a new respect for the Welsh after their World Cup Sevens victory in Dubai earlier this year, coach of the side, Paul John, is loathe to place any undue expectations on his team.

John, who was recently named coach of the year by the Sports Council for Wales, explained that much has changed since that unexpected victory in March, and he has been working with a virtually new group of players in preparation for the 2009/2010 IRB Sevens World Series.

"Following our success at the Rugby World Cup Sevens in Dubai, a lot of our squad have gone on to secure new professional contracts in the fifteen-a-side game, which is a positive result of the win, and we have taken the opportunity to bring in some new players into the squad so it's a fresh start in lots of ways," said John.

The Welsh team has recently returned from France where they played a training tournament against France, Scotland, and sides from Morocco and Argentina. "We managed to pip Scotland in the final to win the tournament. That was the first time we've been able to play some rugby before the Sevens season kicks off, so it was great for us. It means the new players have some matches under their belt before we head to Dubai. We usually start the season slowly due to lack of playing and training time but hopefully that experience will help us this time around," said John.

Looking back on the last time his team were in Dubai, he said: "Everything seemed to come together at the right time for the Rugby World Cup Sevens. We were able to get some consistency of selection following a good tournament in Wellington where we beat New Zealand for the first time."

John does not expect things to be quite as smooth when his team return to The Sevens venue on December 4, however, having been drawn in the same pool as Series champions South Africa, Australia and hosts Arabian Gulf for this year's tournament.

"I think our Rugby World Cup Sevens win has earned us respect from some of the other nations. New Zealand for example have asked for a training match against us. But we are a new team this season, so there shouldn't be too much expectation on our performances," he said.