“It was such a disappointing end to a tournament where so much was achieved,” says Williams after a 28-21 loss to Japan – whom they had beaten in the pool stage – in their final game . “Our level of performance in the group against New Zealand and Fiji had been exceptional, and I was pleased with the victory against Japan in our first meeting.”
However, a drop-off in results in the final day of the tournament left the head coach feeling disappointed. “Against France in the Challenge Trophy Quarter-Final, we failed to reach the intensity levels that served us so well on Days One and Two,” says Williams. “We’ll look into the reasons why because we have to ensure that when we get to these latter stages in our targeted Commonwealth Games and World Cups, this is when the tournament will start for us.”
Williams speculates that the psychological strain of narrowly missing out in qualifying from Hong Kong’s ‘Group of Death’ might have contributed to Wales’ downturn in fortunes on the last day. “It might also be down to the physical tiredness due to the intensity against New Zealand and Fiji, and the levels of performance we achieved in those two games,” he adds. “I’m unsure right now, but we will find the answers as we continue to work towards 2018.”
Wales Sevens have a World Cup and Commonwealth Games to look forward to next year, which means that every game of this year’s series is seen as a valuable lesson for the team. The squad arrived in Singapore today, where they will this Saturday face New Zealand, USA and Scotland in Pool D.
