By beating Ukraine 31-7 to claim the 7th-8th Play-off place final in Malemort, Wales surpassed expectations and will join Netherlands and Ireland for the World Series playoff later in the year.
Entering the two legs for this season, head coach Rhys Edwards had targeted a top eight position after leading his side to ninth last season in the overall rankings, but two solid tournaments in succession ensured Wales finished seventh – the highest ever ranking achieved by Wales.
“The last two rounds on the Grand Prix series shows we can compete with the best teams,” said a delighted Williams.
“Over the two legs we fielded nine new caps and they all stood up to the challenge. Even the game against England which we eventually lost 35-0, in the first half we held them to 7-0. We need to work on retaining the ball and not give the ball away cheaply – one dropped ball can change the course of a game,” added the Wales captain.
Williams said it was particularly pleasing to get some tangible reward for all the effort the girls have put in.
“We’ve been pushing teams but not getting the results. I’m chuffed to bits that we have achieved the best result Wales have come up with so far in Sevens. To be involved in the qualifiers is going to be a dream come true.
“What was particularly pleasing was seeing the younger players come through. Rhian Nokes stood out in the centre. She backs herself – just like her clubmate Ffion Bowen who stood out in the first leg of the series.
“Beth Dainton has also made rapid strides after playing rugby for only a couple of months. Her versatility was a huge bonus to us as she played in the forwards for the first tournament and played on the wing in Malemort last weekend.”
Williams has been encourage by the improvement shown by her young side but knows that further improvement will be required if they are to reach the summit in Sevens rugby and play on the World Series.
“Fourteen minutes is a long time in sevens rugby. A dropped ball can change the course of a game. Possession, and in particular retaining possession, is key. We have proved we can compete against the established teams in Europe,” she said.
“We only lost by two points against Netherlands in the pool game on Day 1 and they are a consistently Top 6 team. We have to be consistent as the game can run away from you within a couple of minutes if you’re not careful.”
Rugby Europe Grand Prix Series results – Malemort
Results:
Wales 19-21 Netherlands
Wales 19-14 Portugal
Wales 07-29 France
Quarter-final:
Wales 0-35 England
Plate Semi-final:
Wales 12-31 Netherlands
7th-8th Play-off
Wales 31-7 Ukraine
Final placings in 2015 Women’s Grand Prix Series: France 38 points; Russia 36; Spain 32; England 30; Ireland 24; Netherlands 20; Wales 14; Italy 9; Ukraine 8; Portugal 7; Scotland 6; Germany 4.
