After losing to Fiji (40-7), Johnathan Edwards’s side recovered well to beat tomorrow’s RBS Six Nations opponents England 15-5 and give Warren Gatland’s side an early boost ahead of Saturday’s Twickenham showdown. Tries from Richie Pugh, James Lewis and Tal Selley helped Wales to the win.
Nineteen year old Ospreys wing Dave Evans made his debut for Wales Sevens and got onto the scoreboard against the Cook Islands in a 26-7 win which paved the way for Wales to go through to the Cup quarter-finals. Alec Jenkins, Lee Williams and Tal Selley also crossed to seal the victory against the South Sea Islanders who had previously beaten England 21-17.
Wales Sevens now face host nation New Zealand Sevens in the Cup quarter-finals at the Westpac Stadium in Wellington.
Dragons Head Coach Paul Turner, who is in New Zealand on a fact finding mission for the WRU, said, “I’ve been very impressed by the organisation of the tournament, and by the power and pace of the game, not only by the senior nations but also by the likes of Kenya and the Cook Islands.
“The boys wanted to beat England before the Six Nations game tomorrow to give the senor side some extra hope.
“It’s a good start to the international weekend and our senior players will need some of the power, pace and strength in the contact area shown here by the Sevens players if we are to beat England at Twickenham for the first time in twenty years.
“It’s clear to me that international Sevens is a huge tool for developing young players.”
Wales made it through to the last four of the Cup competition at the London and Edinburgh Sevens at the end of last season, but failed to reach the quarter-finals at the first two tournaments of this season at Dubai and George.
