Rowland, Neumann in return for sevens
WALES Women Sevens have been given a licence to thrill at the Kharkiv 7s, Ukraine this weekend.
Coaches Gareth Wyatt and Jonathan Hooper believe the squad has the right mix of experience and talent to be competitive against Pool opponents Spain, Ireland and Italy.
Internationals Gemma Rowland and Lisa Neumann have been added to the squad that competed in Leg One of the Rugby Europe Grand Prix Series last month along with newcomers to senior international rugby Caitlin Lewis and Hannah Powell.
Wyatt said: “Gemma brings a huge amount of sevens experience to the group, and both her and Lisa, with her 15-a-side international experience, know what it takes to perform at this level.
“Caitlin went to Dubai as part of the development squad last year while it’s the first senior tournament for Hannah.
“There’s a good balance in the squad and we definitely have the talent to do well if we can build some momentum throughout the tournament.
“However, the best way to do that is for the girls to go out and enjoy their rugby.
“We are up against some experienced teams in Spain and Ireland, who are both on the World Series, and Italy who narrowly beat us in Marcoussis last month.”
Wales kick off the Kharkiv 7s against Spain at 9am BST on Saturday. All the games will be streamed live on Rugby Europe TV.
Wales Women Sevens squad, Kharkiv 7s, Rugby Europe Leg Two:
Keira Bevan; Alisha Butchers; Gwen Crabb; Courtney Edwards; Lleucu George; Jasmine Joyce (co-capt); Hannah Jones (co-capt); Bethan Lewis; Caitlin Lewis; Lisa Neumann; Hannah Powell; Gemma Rowland; Lauren Smyth.