Wales take on Canada tomorrow in their opening game of Pool B and will be looking to repeat last week’s victory in Las Vegas against the hosts. The 17-10 triumph sparked an upturn in fortunes for Luke Treharne’s side who have found the going pretty tough in this year’s series.
Following the victory against Canada, Wales went on to win their following three games against Portugal, Scotland and France to claim the Bowl with staunch defending and clinical finishing – areas of the game which have been less than convincing in the previous rounds.
“The tournament can’t come soon enough following our run of four consecutive wins in Las Vegas and strong showings against South Africa and USA,” said head coach Gareth Williams.
“The challenge, none the less, gets no easier. Canada will be out for revenge on our win last week, and facing them in their first match on home soil will be a huge challenge. They have a hugely experienced squad, and the home crowd will add 100% to their motivation.
“Russia made huge strides last week, and should have had a famous win against Kenya that would have seen them qualify for the quarter-finals. And Australia have contested back to back finals and have fresh and experienced individuals coming back in.
“Despite this, I am sure the three nations will have noted our performances from Las Vegas and will be looking at ways to contain us and break us down. And this is the main challenge for us as a group, to focus on delivering to the standards we have started to progress to. We still have a way to go, but maintaining consistency while progressing our development is key.”
