WALES’ form may not be the best heading into the Exeter leg of the Rugby Europe Grand Prix 7s Series but captain Luke Crocker is convinced his side are primed to spring a surprise or two this weekend, writes Luke Baker.

Wales beat Lithuania to record a respectable seventh-place finish in the first leg of the Grand Prix Series in Moscow but regressed to 11th out of 12 in Lyon a week later.

Yet with that disappointment now firmly behind them, Crocker is adamant Wales will come out firing in the third and final leg at Sandy Park which starts on Saturday morning.

The 25-year-old, who has signed for Ebbw Vale for the upcoming season, will skipper the team in the South West and with a number of talented young players to call upon, he insists a top-five finish will be the minimum expectation.

“I think Luke Treharne will show up really well this weekend – he’s a fantastic playmaker and gets us on the front foot from the off,” explained Crocker.

“Also, Dale Stuckey and (Bedwas’) Harley Thomson have been playing really well very recently. Harley carries hard and Dale has some real pace, so they will be finishing off a few things for us this weekend.

“I think we’re on the up heading into this weekend. We put in a really good showing in Moscow, especially on day one although we did fall off slightly in Lyon.

“We’re targeting a top-five finish but we want to push on as far as we can – we think we’ve got the strength and quality in our team to do so.

“If we got in that top five that would be a successful weekend but everyone comes here wanting to win it.

“The ultimate goal is going to be finishing first – we all believe we can do that. We’re going from strength to strength every tournament we play.

“We had a slight step back in Lyon but we’re strong and we’re looking to set our stall out this weekend.”

If Wales are to finish in the top five in Exeter, they will need to emerge from a testing pool containing Russia, Georgia and Belgium.

Belgium are currently one place ahead of them in the Series standings, in seventh, while Russia lie third overall following two strong tournaments.

And although he is confident his side has what it takes to beat anyone put in front of them, Crocker is fully aware of the threat posed by each of his country’s opponents.

“We know it’s going to be a challenging pool. We’ve played all the teams before and we know what they’re about,” added Crocker.

“We’ll come out firing in the first game. We know what Belgium will bring but we’re convinced we’ve got the quality to beat them and the likes of Russia and Georgia as well.

“We’ll show what we’re about this weekend and upset a few teams.

“I think Russia will challenge us because they are very good in the air, so possession is key. If we get that right then we’ve got the boys to do the job.”

The Rugby Europe Sevens at Sandy Park, catch them if you can! July 11 & 12. Tickets available from the Exeter Chiefs box office across the weekend. For more details, visit www.exeterchiefs.co.uk