Two tough opening fixtures in their pool saw Wales succumb to New Zealand (26-7) and the increasingly impressive USA (38-14), before Williams’s young charges gave a much better account of themselves in an electric 47-28 victory against Argentina.
“We were a nine-minute team in those first two games,” lamented Williams. “We were unable to to sustain positive starts to the games, but we rallied well to put in a comprehensive performance against Argentina.”
In the quarter-final of the Challenge Trophy, Wales’ strong start against Spain proved enough to see out the game for a 26-14 result that took them through to the semis, where they faced Australia.
Despite two tries from Lloyd Evans and Owen Jenkins, Wales were undone by a yellow card and a penalty try that ultimately handed a 14-12 win to the Aussies, Williams admitting they had “come up short in managing some key moments in the game”.
Casting an eye at the Cup Final of the competition, Williams expressed his pleasure at seeing Scotland – who had already achieved shock wins against Fiji and South Africa in the tournament – make it all the way to the denouement in Paris.
“I’d like to congratulate the Scots on their performances this weekend,” said Williams. “They’re supported by so many of their club and international players at this stage of the season, which makes them a real force to be reckoned with.
“We’ve now got one more shot at achieving something good in the World Series with a Twickenham finale to come next Saturday, which we’re looking forward to immensely.”
Wales’ Pool A opponents in London will be Kenya, South Africa and USA.
