Despite losses to experienced – and full-strength – opposition in the likes of Russia, Germany and Georgia, a rookie Wales team twice overcame hosts Poland to claim some positive results at Lodz 7s, in what was the final leg of Rugby Europe’s Grand Prix Series.
“Overall, when I look back at the effort and endeavour of the boys, I’m really pleased,” says Pugh. “Besides winning those two games, on day one we challenged the eventual finalists, Germany, and although Russia were just too strong for us, when we were finally able to get possession in those last few minutes, we showed what we can do with it.
“There were good lessons against a World Series team [in Russia] and two of the top teams in Europe this season. We had five boys who were in our U18s group last year, and couple that with the inexperience of some of the other new boys, I’m pleased with the outcome. They never gave up and attacked everything.”
Those pool matches led to a Challenge Trophy Semi-Final against Georgia on Sunday. “I was a little disappointed with our performance there,” Pugh admits. “We didn’t quite grasp the match, and too many errors led to them picking up tries and winning the game. Other than that, the boys can hold their heads up and be happy with their efforts.”
Ultimately, Pugh believes that the young players will benefit from their Polish outing: “They faced some difficult challenges, and they will have learnt a lot. They’ve been exposed to a higher level of rugby which is important to their development.”
Wales Results – Lodz 7s:
Germany 24-12 Wales
Wales 14-10 Poland
Russia 33-7 Wales
Georgia 28-5 Wales
Wales 14-10 Poland
