Wales shine at School Games

After winning bronze in the Commonwealth Youth Games, the Welsh girls took silver at the School Games in Loughborough University over the weekend. Hooper says this latest achievement reinforces what they accomplished in the Bahamas in July.
 
“Reaching the School Games final shows that the Commonwealths wasn’t a one-off, that we are a good team,” he says. “We got better game after game in Loughborough, but in sevens you’re out to improve tournament after tournament too, and I think we’ve done that.”
 
Wales won seven consecutive games on their way to the final in the East Midlands, and were the only side to beat every team in the competition, including Ireland, who they faced in the gold-medal showdown under the renowned sports university’s floodlights.
 
“I was gutted for the girls to lose in that final, but they did superbly well,” Hooper says. “We beat South West England twice, who were one of the favourites. We simply ran out of time against Ireland. We were starting slow in almost every game, coming from behind to win four of them, which is testament to our fitness.
 
“Ironically, we started strongly against Ireland in our first match against them. They were a lot more physical in the final though. Fair play to them, they knew that their only chance was to be direct and get stuck into us, and we went a little bit off-plan, not playing the ball into space.”
 
According to Hooper, his team will be stronger for the School Games experience. “They now know now that even if you win all your games leading up to it, you’ve still got to turn up in the final. Playing under lights for that last match brought another element to the atmosphere. We had lots of support, and we could hear the cheers of all the parents.”
 
In Loughborough, Wales had to do without the formidable presence of Lleucu George, who at 17 years of age became the youngest player to feature at this summer’s Women’s Rugby World Cup. “She sent some good luck messages to the girls beforehand,” says Hooper. “She would have brought a bit of physicality to the tournament, but now all we’re doing is looking ahead to Rugby Europe in Vichy.”
 
Starting tonight, the team will have three training sessions together in Wales before heading to France for Europe’s premier sevens competition, which kicks off on Saturday 16th September. Wales’ highly competitive group will see them come up against England, USA and Russia.
 
Hooper says: “It’s a tough group, but having encountered Ireland the way they played in the School Games final, it’s going to hold us in good stead because that’s the sort of physicality we’re going to encounter in France.”