They can also point to a record of which they can rightly feel proud having become the first Welsh international side at any level to score five tries against an All Blacks team.
They plundered four in their 27-26 defeat in last year’s tournament and went one better in Cape Town this time around with five to once again pick up two points in another agonising defeat.
“We can feel proud at the way we stuck at it and we got two bonus points in the end, which didn’t seem likely just after half time when we went down 41-20,” said Woodman.
“Their counterattack was very good, and they have a flying back three. We’d be in their 22, lose the ball or give away a penalty, and then they could score at the other end – they finish off their counter attacks so well.
“If we’d tidied things up a bit we could have won the game. That’s why we were so gutted at the end.
“Now we will have to review the game before taking on Spain. The Spaniards have got some big boys, and they gave France a good game, so we know we can’t take anything for granted when we meet them.”
The French, beaten by England in the Grand Slam decider at the end of the U20 Six Nations, opened the defence of their title with a 49-12 victory over new boys Spain. They now face New Zealand as they seek to stay on course to win a fourth title in a row and match the junior All Blacks record from 2008-2011.
The anthem line-up ahead of the game against New Zealand
Wales head coach Richard Whiffin described his side’s performance as “very courageous” but knows that wins over Spain and France are likely to be required to reach the top-tier of semi-final matches.
“We always felt we would finish strongly, and we were pleased with that aspect of the game. But we were disappointed in allowing them to get three breakaway tries,” said Whiffin.
“New Zealand had some great skill sets that we struggled to cope with, although two bonus points means we are still alive in the group. The boys were disappointed, but we can still qualify for the top round of semi-finals.
“They showed massive heart and were very courageous when the game could easily have got away from us. The guys who came off the bench gave us good energy and control and enabled us to score some nice tries at the end of the game.
“We just let them get a few soft tries from deep that we shouldn’t have conceded. We know that Spain put up a dogged performance against France, but we can go into that game with plenty of confidence off the back of the last 20 minutes against New Zealand.”
