Craig Hill raced over in the first half and Lee Rees scored in the second period to lead Wales’s charge to a 14-5 victory over Russia in a hard fought final. Gareth Rees banged over two conversions to complete the scoring for Wales.

Russia rallied late on to score through Lev Sleptsov but it proved too little too late as Wales picked up their second title in two weeks.

En route to the final Wales swept aside the challenge of Tunisia 33-0 in the quarter-final before brushing aside the rapidly improving Portugal 24-7 in the semis.

After being knocked out of the main draw after finishing their pool in third place behind New Zealand and Samoa, Wales were looking to assert their authority in the Bowl competition.

In the quarter-final bowl against Tunisia there was only one side in it. Wales led 19-0 at the break thanks to tries by Justin Tiperic, Ashley Beck and Ifan Evans.

Wales suffered a setback when Chris Davies was sin binned in first minute of second half but tries by Alex Cuthbert and Gareth Davies ensured passage through to the semis.

Portugal put up a tougher fight in the semi-final and held Wales to a 5-0 lead after a Cuthbert try. But Wales stepped up a gear in the second spell and got the perfect start when Davies scampered over. Goncalo Foro hit back with Diogo Miranda adding the extras but Justin Tiperic put the issue beyond doubt with two smartly taken tries.

Wales coach Paul John was a delighted man after guiding his young side to their second success within seven days.

“Let’s be realistic, we’ve got eight brand new players in the squad. Eight players who have not played sevens tournament rugby before. But this bunch of youngsters have grown and grown tremendously on and off the field.

“They have pushed all the sides really close over the first two tournaments. We’ve played all the big teams over the past couple of weeks except for Kenya and England and to be fair, they have done themselves proud.

“We’ve got a lot more points than we did this time last year, so we’ve exceeded expectations from the first two tournaments so they can take confidence from what they have achieved.

“They have won both Bowls comfortably and two win two Bowls is difficult. They’ve shown they have the potential to get into the semi-finals of the main draw.”

Only captain Chris Davies (Aberavon), Newport’s Craig Hill, Cross Keys flanker Jevon Groves and Llandovery flyer Ifan Evans have previous international Sevens experience, with Hill the only member of Wales’ Rugby World Cup Sevens winning squad set to return to Dubai. All four are contracted WRU core Sevens players, as are uncapped trio Chris Morgan (Aberavon), Nicky Thomas (Swansea) and Lloyd Wiliams (Blues).

Ospreys youngsters Ashley Beck and Justin Tipuric, Cardiff outside half Gareth Davies, Scarlets Academy scrum half Lee Rees and UWIC’s Alex Cuthbert have been added to the squad for these two legs of the Series.

Wales have a tough draw at next week’s Dubai tournament, with last year’s Series winners South Africa, Australia and Arabian Gulf their Pool opponents.

John said, “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.

“The WRU has introduced core contracts for Sevens players which is hugely positive for us. It means we are able to achieve a consistency of selection that we have never had before. As a full time member of staff I also have more time to work on preparation, analysis and coaching with the players.

“Ashley Beck, Justin Tipuric and Nicky Thomas have already played some Regional rugby this season but Sevens is a key development tool for us as a Union and we hope players like these will gain a huge amount in skill levels, experience and confidence from international Sevens which will serve them well in the professional game. Gareth Davies and Lee Rees have been playing exceptionally well in the Principality Premiership and Alex Cuthbert has played quite a bit on the invitational Sevens circuit.

“Chris (Davies) has been selected as captain for these tournaments. He has a terrific work ethic and we believe he will lead by example.”

Despite the tough draw, John is buoyed by his side’s preparation for the season ahead.

“We recently played in a training tournament in France, where we played France, Scotland, a Moroccan side and an Argentinean team. We played five games and managed to pip Scotland in the final to win the tournament. That was the first time we’ve been able to play some competitive 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 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.

“We have a tough pool with last year’s champions, South Africa, Australia, who we failed to beat in a number of meetings last season and the Arabian Gulf so we just want the players to play to their potential and the aim, as it was in the world cup, will be to try and get out of the pool and go from there. That will be the aim throughout the season – to try and get into more Cup quarter-finals and move up the IRB rankings.

“It will be a steep learning curve for our squad and while they are a very talented group of boys, they may take a while to gel.

“Dubai is a fantastic competition, there is a huge Welsh contingency in the crowd and I’m sure our players will grow through the tournament.”

Wales Sevens squad for Dubai and George:

Chris Davies (capt, Aberavon), Lee Rees (Scarlets Academy), Chris Morgan (Aberavon), Gareth Davies (Cardiff), Nicky Thomas (Swansea), Lloyd Williams (Blues), Ashley Beck (Ospreys), Ifan Evans (Llandovery), Craig Hill (Newport), Alex Cuthbert (UWIC), Justin Tipuric (Ospreys), Jevon Groves (Cross Keys)

Beck, a centre, has signed a three-year deal that ties him to the region until the end of the 2011-12 season, while winger Phillips has committed himself to the Ospreys until 2013. Both players have risen through the age-grade ranks at the region, and were initially handed their first Academy contracts in January 2007.

The homegrown duo, both aged 19, are regulars in the Wales Under-20 squad, and have already gained Magners League experience with the Ospreys.

Phillips holds the record for the youngest ever play to start a Magners League match, aged 17 years and 250 days when he faced Connacht for the Ospreys in May 2008, a game in which he also became the youngest ever Magners League try scorer.

For his part, Beck is the youngest ever player to feature in a Magners League game having come off the bench at the Liberty Stadium against Leinster in November 2007, aged just 17 years and 222 days.

Phillips has so far made six appearances in an Ospreys shirt, scoring two tries, while Beck has played seven times, with his first start coming as a replacement in Munster at the end of last season. The pair have also caught the eye in the Welsh Premiership over the last 18 months with Aberavon (Beck) and Neath (Phillips).

Kristian Phillips commented:

“I’m delighted that the Ospreys have given me the opportunity to further my career here for the next four years. I’m still young, still gaining in experience and learning the game, and hopefully, I’ll get some game time in the coming months to show what I can do for the Ospreys.

“Things are going pretty well for me at the moment and it’s a real positive boost for me that the Ospreys want to keep me here for the next four years. I had an injury last season (dislocated shoulder) that halted my progress but I’ve been playing regularly in the Premiership and I’m enjoying my rugby. The next challenge for me will be to be selected for the Anglo Welsh games that are coming up and hopefully I can build on that. There are some great wingers here, working with international players and British Lions can only help me with my development in the long run.

“It’s a great place to learn the game, the system that is in place here is second to none and is geared towards developing local young players for both the Ospreys and the international set-up. I know I’m in the right place as a youngster coming through as the Ospreys have a good record for developing players, so with my new contract, I’m pretty excited about the future.”

Ashley Beck added:

“I’m landed to have a new contract, to be a part of something like the Ospreys is fantastic and I’m just really pleased that they want me here for the next three years. People seem to think that I’m older than I am because I played my first game so young and I’ve been playing in the Premiership with Aberavon, but with this contract it means that I’ve got some time to make the step up and make an impact.

“The set-up at the Ospreys is brilliant, with the number of players that have come through the ranks to play for the senior side there’s no better place for a young Welsh player to be if they want to achieve their full potential, and obviously, I want to work with the coaches here to achieve that.

“There are some great players here in my position, that’s the best thing about being at the Ospreys, I can learn from people like James Hook, Andrew Bishop, Sonny Parker and Tommy Bowe, and then there are younger players like Jonathan Spratt and Gareth Owen, I can only be a better player for working with them. In a few years, I’d like to be able to think that I could follow in their footsteps and become a regular with the Ospreys.”

Speaking about Beck and Phillips, Ospreys Head Coach, Sean Holley, said:

“Having monitored the pair of them since they were just 13 or 14, I’m delighted that they have progressed with their careers to this stage, and have been rewarded with their first professional contracts. They have shown their potential in the Welsh Premiership over recent seasons where they have adapted well to the step-up from the age-grade game and consistently been two of the best performers in the competition, and have already had good exposure to next level of the game with the Ospreys.

“We are extremely proud of our outstanding record for identifying and developing young local talent here at the Ospreys, and Ashley and Kristian are the latest example of us providing opportunities to youngsters to represent their home region. This is just the first step on the ladder to a career in professional rugby for the two of them, who are two of a crop of talented backline players that we hope will become the next generation of Ospreys.”