Cardiff Blues' Declan Williams says his side will be pulling out all the stops in order to bring home success from Cardiff Arms Park to the Ricoh Arena at the Singha Premiership Rugby 7s Series Finals in Coventry on Sunday.
Williams joined Welsh 7s internationals Owen Jenkins, Adam Thomas and Ben Roach in helping the Blues to a Group A clean sweep last month.
They were rewarded for their daring picks, claiming three wins from three on an electrifying night at BT Sport Cardiff Arms Park. At 18, Williams was enjoying a first taste of senior rugby for the Welsh region and has been keeping tabs on the English sides as he prepares for a quarter-final showdown with Sale Sharks at the Ricoh Arena.
“We have a couple of sessions coming up and we just want to put in a massive week so that we’re ready for the tournament on Sunday,” he said.
“The boys’ attitude has been really positive, it will be really exciting and a tough task, but we just need to attack well and keep our defence really strong.
“It was a really positive win for us, especially over the Dragons after we lost to them last year and we just want to take that into the game with Sale Sharks now and see what we can do against the English sides.”
With Sale boasting the likes of Paolo Odogwu, who scored eight tries as Sharks secured a quarter-final with second-place in Group D, and playmaker James Mitchell, the Blues undoubtedly face a stern test first up.
But Williams is full of confidence and is hopeful that his side can go on to strut their stuff across the border.
“I feel like I have a strong attacking game, my individual skills are good too,” he said.
“Harlequins look really sharp, they had some serious pace and Exeter Chiefs too – they looked equally comfortable in attack and defence.
“Playing alongside the likes of Adam, Owen and Ben who have obviously all played for Wales 7s, has been great – they bring so much experience.
“It would be absolutely great to win the tournament against so many great teams.”
Eight teams will play for the first silverware of the season in the Singha Premiership Rugby 7s Series Finals from 2pm at the Ricoh Arena, Coventry on Sunday 7 August. For tickets visit wasps.co.uk/tickets
Quarter-final fixtures:
Quarter Final 1 - Cardiff Blues v Sale Sharks
Quarter Final 2 - Exeter Chiefs v Northampton Saints
Quarter Final 3 - Harlequins v Wasps
Quarter Final 4 - Newcastle Falcons v Ospreys