“Our end result again left a lot to be desired out in New Zealand,” commented Williams, who had admitted his frustration after Wales’ showing in Sydney a week ago.
Saturday saw a close-run battle with Canada end in a 19-14 defeat, with Wales’ tries coming via Cameron Lewis and captain Luke Treharne. Wales’ first victory of the weekend came against Spain, which included a second try of the tournament for newcomer Harri Millard for a final score of 29-21.
“Against Canada, we let the game slip through our fingers after controlling it quite well,” said Williams. “We gave the ball away too easily, and this is an area in which we have to increase individual responsibility.”
Along with Spain, a demanding pool in Hamilton had drawn Wales with Fiji (28-0) and Australia (26-7), ranked third and fourth respectively. Fiji would go on to win the overall tournament, whilst Australia had clinched the trophy on home turf in Sydney a week earlier.
“We were 0-0 at half time versus Australia, but this was a response to starting loosely in the Fiji match,” Williams explained. “Our development responsibilities on this programme are well documented. We have to realise that part of development is learning from mistakes, and some of us are not learning as quickly as professional rugby requires. This is a learning curve in itself which we need to start grasping.”
Wales will now regroup and look to come back stronger when they travel to Las Vegas at the end of the month.
