Having raised the same trophy in Vancouver, Gareth Williams’s men knew they were more than capable of doing the same again, despite fielding one of their youngest ever teams this weekend.
Early losses to New Zealand and finalists USA might have disheartened a lesser group of players, but the tight-knit Welshmen showed the spirit to go on a run of four consecutive victories against Scotland (twice), Russia and Samoa.
Williams admitted he was “chuffed to bits” not just with the result, but with the grit his young charges displayed in winning the trophy against a team ranked higher than them – all without the considerable experience of Adam Thomas and Cory Allen. They did, however, have the considerable nous of Sam Cross in the team, Wales’ co-captain named DHL Impact Player thanks to a tireless all-round contribution to his country’s effort.
Said Williams: “I’d like to congratulate Sam on winning the DHL Impact Player Award. He was incredible for us today, and the support of the entire squad was a huge part of his performances.”
Wales had the second fewest amount of caps going into Singapore, which makes their achievement today all the more impressive.
“The potential in our young group is very exciting, and it would be great to be able to grow them over a period of time that would see that potential come to fruition,” said Williams. “Seeing Canada win the Cup is amazing too. They had the second highest amount of caps in the tournament with 306, which shows how experience can have an effect.”
The penultimate leg of the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series will be the closest yet to home for Wales with the action moving to Paris next month, where Wales will once again face USA and New Zealand, with Argentina completing Pool B.
