The North Wales Exiles Rugby Sevens

When a young North Wales Exiles side announced their arrival on the UK sevens scene by winning the Manchester International Open in 2010, their iconic Akuma-designed pink Superman shirt was regarded by many observers as the stand-out kit of the season.

Little were they to know that Manchester would also be the launchpad for the careers of several young players as among the squad of teenagers on show that day were future England 7s internationals Danny Bibby and Richard De Carpentier (Leicester Tigers).

The Exiles flamboyant style both on and off the field that day won them many admirers, including ex-England Sevens manager and Samurai International boss Terry Sands, who not only enlisted the help of Exiles manager Marcus Copeland to assemble and run his Colin Hillman Memorial team at the 2010 Cwmtawe Sevens but also poached Exiles winger Ed Tellwright for his star-studded Samurai squad.

Since winning the International Open event, pictures of the team have appeared in dozens of national publications, including the Rugby Paper and Cheshire Life, and in newspaper and internet adverts publicising some of the UK's major sevens tournaments. Their decision last summer to photograph a glamour model in their new kit also paid dividends with the pictures splashed across several tournament programmes, websites and lads mags!

It's not only their flair and exciting brand of rugby that has caught the eye - their legendary post-tournament court sessions have also earned them a degree of notoriety.

The celebrations following their Manchester Sevens victory in 2010 were monumental while their narrow sudden-death defeat in the final of the 2011 Heineken Kinsale Sevens saw the entire squad almost miss their flight home... More on the North Wales Exiles