The young Welsh side proved pretty quick learners at the Estadio Ciudad de Malaga after losing to the impressive French side 38-10 in their opening Pool D clash.
Wale scored tries through Tom Williams and Lloyd Lewis and were still in the game at halftime, trailing 19-10, but vital turnovers saw France score three unanswered tries in the second spell to pull away.
In a tightly contested affair against Kenya, the silky running skills of Morgan Williams were to the fore. He scored twice and with debutant Tom Brown adding a third, Wales did enough to repel the challenge of Kenya and set up a clash against Canada where the winner will go through to the quarter finals alongside France.
“We probably got a lesson in how sharp in the contact area the French are and they were very clinical when they did turn us over and that is why they are one of the best teams on the circuit,” said Pugh.
“It was a bit of a lesson for the boys but we’re constantly learning after just two weeks together. The boys showed some real courage and maturity to finish the game off against Kenya because it was a game we knew we were capable of winning. At times it could easily have swung the other way but there were some huge efforts in there and the boys got their reward to get the result.
Lloyd Lewis dives over in the corner to score against France
“It was nice to see big contributions in the Kenya game at important times from Ewan Rosser, Tom Brown and Frankie Souto.
“The beauty of these young boys is they are fearless, they are going into the unknown and I think definitely that has kind of passed on to the more experienced boys who know what’s around the corner so it’s a good kind of balance to have really.
“Canada had a great result against Kenya themselves and we know how organised they are. We’ll be looking at the video tonight and pick off some detail and it’s a case of winner takes it all in that game.
“The character and growth shown in the games and the fact they were able to get across the line to get a much deserved Kenya win speaks volumes and is testament to the effort the boys have put in.”
