Following their strong fourth-place finish in Dubai – which included a stirring performance to beat Australia in the Cup quarter-finals – Wales have this weekend been drawn in Pool D with Uganda, Samoa and Scotland.
Playmaker Treharne, who consistently impressed in the United Arab Emirates, misses the tournament in order to concentrate on a crucial phase of his medical studies at the University of Exeter.
Treharne’s absence hands a timely opportunity to Stef Andrews to step up in only his second tournament, says head coach Gareth Williams – not to mention giving former Wales U18 international Lane a chance at this early stage of the season.
“The extra squad place made available due to Luke’s unavailability gives Owen an opportunity to showcase his talents,” says Williams. “We’ve called Owen up as an opportunity to give some exposure to a very talented young player, and we’re working very hard to accelerate his development in conjunction with Cardiff Blues.”
“This is a huge part of our programme on behalf of all the Regions and Welsh rugby as a whole,” Williams adds.
Following their exploits in Dubai, Williams also lauded his squad’s work ethic in helping fly-half Ethan Davies’s selection to last weekend’s World Rugby Sevens Dream Team.
Watch Wales Sevens highlights from last weekend here.
Pool D fixtures (GMT), Saturday: Wales v Uganda (08:37), Wales v Samoa (13:58), Wales v Scotland (15:19).
Wales Sevens squad for Cape Town
Stef Andrews (Aberavon)
Sam Cross (captain)
Ethan Davies
Lloyd Evans
Owen Jenkins
Owen Lane (Cardiff Blues)*
Matthew Owen (Scarlets)
Ben Roach
Jared Rosser (Newport Gwent Dragons)
Adam Thomas
Morgan Williams (Ospreys)
Tom Williams (Ospreys)
*Uncapped
All information on the Cape Town Sevens can be found here.
