But Wales earned the respect of the 40,000 crowd in the impressive National Stadium with a gutsy performance that shook New Zealand.
Wales held New Zealand for the first four minutes of the tie with solid defence and attacking play from their own possession. But eventually the individual skill of Tomasi Cama, whose father was a Fijian Sevens player in the early nineties, produced a try and conversion for New Zealand. Then just before the break consistent performer Steven Yates burst through for an unconverted try and a 12-0 interval lead.
WRU Audio: Skipper Johnathan Edwards reviews Hong Kong Sevens
WRU Audio: NZ coach Gordon Tietens applauds Wales Sevens recent progress
WRU Audio: Wales coach Gareth Baber says the experience of Hong Kong will only be good for his players
However, Wales, enjoyed a glorious spell early in the second half, crowning a period of dominance with a try by Richie Pugh from Aled Brew’s subtle kick ahead. Lee Williams added the conversion but Wales’s hopes of overtaking New Zealand were dashed by a second try and conversion by Cama and then a brace-completion by Brace, Cama converting.
“I’m proud of the guys and of all we’ve achieved in our matches here in Hong Kong and this will help us going into the Adelaide tournament next weekend. We’ve lacked continuity in the past but now I think we’re beginning to put it together” said Wales skipper Johnathan Edwards.
“I think we have narrowed the gap between the top teams and ourselves. It’s only a small margin now. The difference is finishing. New Zealand know how long to hold on to the ball, but bridging the gap is about eliminating costly lapses in concentration. We’ve got to learn to be clinical.
“Overall though we’re happy that we achieved our goal of making the top eight. We’ve got to be pleased with the fact that we gave both Fiji and New Zealand hard games even though we lost. We’re certainly looking forward to next weekend,” added Edwards.
