Luke Treharne: Wales Sevens captain disappointed by programme suspension

Wales Sevens captain Luke Treharne says the suspension of the programme in Wales is "disappointing."

The Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) suspended the sevens programme for the "foreseeable future" in August 2020 because of Covid-19's impact.

Treharne, who has been involved in the game for almost a decade, says the news was tough to take:

"Hearing it is so much tougher even when you know it's coming," said Treharne.

"It's meant a lot to me, the boys and the staff who have put in a lot over the years. It's not great to hear.''

Despite both the Rugby Football Union (RFU) and WRU scrapping their programmes, the commitment remains to form a Team GB squad ahead of next year's Olympics in Tokyo.

It is something Treharne is desperate to be part of having missed out on playing in Rio after going to Brazil as a travelling reserve.

Gareth Williams, Luke Treharne, James Davies, Jasmine Joyce, Sam Cross and Richie Pugh formed the Welsh representation in Team GB for the Rio Olympics in 2016

"Having been 13th man at the last Olympics, the last four years have been geared up to trying to get there," said Treharne.

"The road map is now slightly different. I need to find a way of playing some rugby or funding myself."

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Treharne is a qualified doctor, but his commitment to making the Olympics means he is reluctant to return to medicine as a day job for at least another year.

''It's affected us all in different ways," said Treharne,

"A lot of the boys are now looking for a 15-a-side club to play for.

"Some of the older boys have got mortgages and now have to find another source of income. The Welsh Rugby Players' Association (WRPA) have been good in encouraging us to get some form of qualification.''

Wales' men were placed last when the 2019-20 season came to an abrupt end in March. If and when the programme does resume, Treharne has called for smarter investment.

'There's definitely scope for improving how it's run," said Treharne.

"Having been involved for this long, the potential for it can be so much better.

Luke Treharne was the top points scorer and played the most games for Wales during the 2019-20 World Sevens Series season before it was suspended

"Whether it's more or smarter investment or just putting the young 15-a-side boys in for longer. We've been slightly slow to change the structure of our system to compete at the highest level."

New Zealand are the most recent champions and have won 13 World Series titles in total, which does not surprise Treharne.

'They get it right," said Treharne.

"They have their core squad of six to eight boys and put in their best four to six under-20s players.

"But those young players are committed for at least a year before they get sent back to Super Rugby. When that happens they're different players."

Despite the temporary suspension, Treharne is confident it is not the end of his sevens career or of the pathway in Wales.

He continues to bring through the next generation of sevens specialists at an academy he works for and has also spent the majority of lockdown uploading skills videos to YouTube with his brother.

'When I talk to the 14 to 16-year-old boys, they all want to be professional sevens players," said Treharne.

"They find it so enjoyable. The desire is there. We just need to figure out what that next step is."