Richard Whiffin’s gallant side finished Pool A in third place after France came away with a 29-11 victory in storm lashed Cape Town yesterday.
Wales went into the crunch tie in second place in the pool knowing a victory would secure them a place in the semi-finals but the defending champions spoiled the party and grabbed the last spot after finishing the group stages as the best placed runners-up.
Wales, along with Australia, Argentina and South Africa will now contest the 5th-place semi-finals on Sunday.
The clash against the junior Wallabies will give captain Ryan Woodman and several other players the opportunity to gain revenge for the defeat in last year’s 5th-placed final at Athlone Stadium.
“They will be a different challenge as they will probably look to move the ball a little bit more, depending on conditions,” said Whiffin, ‘but it’s always nice to play different teams that you don’t get a chance to very often.
“It’s another challenge for this group who had improved massively since the Six Nations. We’ve gave a brave performance against France but moving forward we need to be a bit mre accurate to get those big scalps.”
