CROSS Keys number eight Jevon Groves and Newport openside flanker Craig Hill have been named in the core Wales sevens squad.

Both forwards played for Wales last season with 27-year-old Hill, who is currently sidelined with a knee injury, playing a crucial role in the squad that won the World Cup.

They have been rewarded with contracts by the WRU, making them available for all eight IRB Sevens World Series tournaments.

Under a new agreement, up to 10 players can be contracted each season with additional regional and club players added from a wider squad.

There will be a training tournament in France next month against Les Bleus, Scotland and Tunisia before the Dubai Sevens in December.

Wales Sevens head coach Paul John, said: “This will radically change our preparation for tournaments. It will give us a level of consistency of selection that we have never been able to achieve to date.

“We’ve got a lot of hard work to do, nothing’s going to miraculously change overnight, but the core contracts put us on a more even footing with other international sevens sides whose players are able to concentrate fully on that format of the game.”

Wales core sevens players 2009/10: Jevon Groves (Cross Keys), Craig Hill (Newport), Darren Daniel (Scarlets), Lloyd Williams (Blues Academy), Chris Davies (Aberavon), Nicky Thomas (Swansea), Ifan Evans (Llandovery), Chris Morgan (Aberavon).