Wales were stunned 21-19 by Hong Kong in their opening clash on day two before England polished them off with a comfortable 26-5 triumph to send Paul John’s men to the Bowl section where they will play Argentina in the quarter-finals tomorrow.
Wales here hoping to build on last weekend’s excellent form when they reached the quarter-finals the Dragons could only finish third in their pool after claiming only one victory from their group games.
Wales looked to be in control against Hong Kong at halftime, leading 12-7 thanks to tries by Lee Rees and Alex Cuthbert but the home side put a cat among the pigeons when Rowan Varty scored early in the second half.
Cuthbert added his second try before Simon Leung raced over before Anthony Haynes sent the home crowd into a frenzy when he scored late on to dent Wales’s chances of reaching the main draw. Keith Robertson held his nerve to kick the conversion to win the game for Hong Kong.
Wales had to defeat England to have any chance of reaching the knock out stages but a 26-5 loss ensured the red rose brigade finished on top while Wales could only finish third.
