Held on the outskirts of Paris at French rugby’s impressive training headquarters, the Marcoussis leg of the series gave Wales’ youngsters a thorough workout. That was no more in evidence than in their opening match against the hosts.
“We couldn’t get control of the game, and it was really only in the second half we got the ball and looked dangerous, but by that point it was too late,” said coach Richie Pugh of an otherwise good first day.
In their remaining pool matches, Wales beat Sweden (17-12) and Italy (22-19). Day two came with an added hurdle for Wales: their growing injury list compounded by the oppressive French heat. Defeats to Russia, Portugal and in a second meeting with Italy didn’t tell the full story, according to their coach.
“The result against Portugal was tough to take, with a few too many of our errors leading to tries,” explains Pugh. “We showed glimpses of very positive rugby. Against Italy we thought we were in control, and created opportunities, but we hard done by in certain areas.”
Wales’ squad was down to nine players due to injuries, but Pugh was impressed by his team’s resolve. “The players had to dig deep after the heat and niggling injuries had taken their toll on the team, so I can only commend them for doing that.
“They reacted well to the adversity. Jay Jones had a positive weekend and stood out, as did Toby Fricker and Matthew Powell, who had a lot of game time. I saw them improve game on game, and they’re developing their understanding of sevens, which is crucial.”
Cai Devine, who took on the leadership mantle for the first time, was excellent, says Pugh. “He won a lot of ball, with fly-half Ethan Davies controlling the game well. We were unfortunate to lose Mike Wilson and Joe Jenkins on the first day, but you have to expect to take knocks in sevens.
“It was tough, but I told the players to enjoy it. It was new experience for a lot of them, who haven’t been through the intensity of successive games at this level. That’s what Rugby Europe is about.”
The second leg of the Grand Prix Series is in Sandy Park this weekend. With the Sevens World Cup taking place in San Francisco in under three weeks’ time, it will be intriguing to see what squad will be named for Exeter this week.
Wales Sevens (Marcoussis): Chay Smith, Matthew Powell, Cai Devine (c), Joe Jenkins, Toby Fricker, Jacob Flynn, Ethan Davies, Iwan Evans, Tony Lamerton, Jay Jones, Mike Wilson, George Thomas.
