In their first match on Friday night, a very young Wales side pushed series leaders South Africa all the way in a tight contest at the Sam Boyd Stadium. Two early scores from try machine Luke Morgan – both converted by Angus O’Brien – gave Wales an early 14-point lead, before the Blitzbokke replied with three converted efforts of their own.Â
Wales drew level in the second half thanks to a Harri Millard try (con. O’Brien), before their opponents edged ahead after crossing in the final minute.Â
England showed they were back to their best in the tournament as they ran out 33-12 winners in the second match, with Wales’ scores coming from Ben Roach and Morgan (con. O’Brien).Â
Williams said: “It’s been a real proud day coaching this group of players. We deserved to beat South Africa and put in our best performance of the season. I thought England were exceptional in keeping the ball away from contact. It made it very difficult to get the ball off them. They’re the perfect example of a 420-tournament team.
“However, when we had the ball, we were excellent. Scoring with the only possession we had in the first half, and our second-half try was one of the best tries we’ll probably see on the Series this season.
“Needless to say, with three new caps, a number of other very fresh players at this level, I am a very proud coach at the end of day one. Now we need to repeat that focus, intensity, and execution against an excellent Canadian team.”
Wales face Canada in their final pool game at 21:48 GMT, live on Sky Sports.Â
