A WINGER from Pill is eyeing the Commonwealth Games after being spotted by the Jamaican 7s team.

Wes Cunliffe has been a thorn in the side of clubs throughout Wales with his exploits out wide for Ebbw Vale and Newport, and now the 30-year-old is on the run for ‘The Crocs’.

He said: “I was playing for the Samurai sevens side and our coach James Bailey who played sevens for England asked, ‘I hope you don’t mind me asking but what’s your heritage?’ I said my mother is Welsh from the Valleys, my father is born here and my grandparents are Jamaican.

“He said that there is a project they are looking to start up in Jamaica and their goals are the Commonwealth Games and hopefully to jump onto the HSBC World Sevens Series.

“He asked would I like to get involved, I said why not and it has gone on from there and myself and [Bargoed lock] Josh Jacas got on board.”

Jamaica played in the World Rugby Sevens Series qualifiers in Hong Kong last month, losing to Uganda, Jamaica and Tonga, but are still eyeing Australia’s Gold Coast next year.

“We are looking to qualify for the Commonwalth Games, that is the ultimate goal,” said Cunliffe, who moved to Rodney Parade from Ebbw Vale in 2015.

“We have got some quality in there, a few of us are based in the UK and the rest are back home on the island.

“We all remember the bobsleigh team. If we did make it, what a story it would be, not just for us, but for future generations and for players in the UK who have dual heritage like myself.

“Jamaica is a country known for sprinters, known for cricketers, it would be nice for rugby to be part of that.

“Rugby is a growing sport over there, not everyone has got a Usain Bolt vest on, people are wearing Samoa, New Zealand, Wales rugby jerseys, it is great to see.”

Cunliffe, who is set to play for Newport in the Heineken 7s at Parc y Scarlets on Saturday, May 27, is a proud Newportonian but is thrilled to be getting back to his roots.

“I have only met my grandparents three or four times, they came over to Newport in the 1940s and moved back in 2002. I visited them last year and it was a great experience," he said.

“I have two beautiful children they haven’t met yet so that is the next thing, to go over there so they can meet their great grandchildren, there is a lot of things to look forward to.

“I am Newport born and bred, it is a privilege to play for my home town, the icing on the cake to wear the Black and Amber jersey.

“It would have been nice to wear the red one, where I have been born and raised, but with the other part of my heritage from the Caribbean, it tops it all off being able to wear the Jamaican jersey.”