Wakley was assistant coach to Richie Pugh in last season’s men’s campaign on the world series and is delighted to have been handed the role.
“It’s a great honour to be asked to be head coach of Great Britain women – it’s a really exciting prospect to be honest,” he said.
“We’ll be working with some fantastic athletes and being on the world series the challenges are going to come thick and fast, but that prospect is one I was dying to get involved in.
“I’m super honoured to take up this role. Having experienced the women’s programme for a couple of years with the Welsh Rugby Union – which was fantastic – now having this opportunity here in a professional environment to really push the women’s sevens programme forward is a major challenge and I’m dying to get going.”
Scotland Sevens head coach Ciaran Beattie has been named Programme Lead for the Great Britain men’s and women’s teams ahead of their inclusion as core teams in the 2023 HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series,
Beattie, who had been in his previous role with Scotland since September 2019, will oversee both programmes, as well as serving as men’s assistant coach, as the Men’s GB7s prepare to compete on the 2023 circuit, which gets underway on the weekend of 4-6 November in Hong Kong.
The amalgam of Scottish, English and Welsh national sevens squads, which follows a mandate from World Rugby to ensure consistency for Olympic Games qualification, sees Tony Roques named men’s head coach.
The 2023 HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series will consist of 11 Men’s and seven Women’s rounds, from November to May, with final legs being staged in Toulouse and London respectively.
Tom Williams and Morgan Williams, who represented both GB 7s and Wales in last season’s HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series, are the two Welshmen selected in the men’s core squad
The 2023 HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series will consist of 11 men’s and seven women’s rounds, from November to May, with final legs being staged in London for the men, and Toulouse for the women.
The core 2023 GB7s men’s squad sees five 2020 Olympians included while the women’s squad features a number of previously core England players including co-captains Meg Jones and Abbie Brown with the remainder of GB7s Women’s selection subject to additions to be determined upon the conclusion of the current Rugby World Cup in New Zealand.
The initial squads met for their first camp last week, as the men prepare shortly for the Hong Kong event which kicks of the World Series. The women were brought together as they start their preparation for Dubai in early December.
Beattie, said: “It has taken a great deal of hard work from everyone connected with GB7s to be able to announce the initial core players for both men’s and women’s squads for the upcoming season.
“The 2023 HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series is a matter of weeks away, and we are pleased to have squads in camp in preparation for that opening men’s event in Hong Kong in November.
“The women’s squad will continue to train, with more players to be added in due course, ahead of the Dubai legs in December.”
GB7s core squads for 2023 HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series:
Men’s
Jamie Adamson
Jamie Barden
Kaleem Barreto
Api Bavadra
Alex Davis
Tom Emery
Jamie Farndale
Robbie Fergusson
Will Homer
Paddy Kelly
Ross McCann
Max McFarland
Freddie Roddick
Morgan Williams
Tom Williams
Ethan Waddleton
Women’s*
Ellie Boatman
Abbie Brown
Heather Cowell
Megan Jones
Alicia Maude
Isla Norman-Bell
Celia Quansah
Jade Shekells
Emma Uren
*Further core squad members to be announced in due course.
