Having told his team to enjoy themselves leading into the Rugby Europe Grand Prix Series competition – following the conclusion of a challenging year on the World Series – Wales duly did so in Russia, throwing off the shackles with some entertaining, high-octane sevens.
“We picked up some good results in terms of the performances we put in and how we applied ourselves in what is a tough tournament featuring some big teams,” said Pugh. “We spoke in the build-up about how we were adopting a different mindset for Moscow, and that showed.
“I was happy with the opportunities our youngsters got, with Dafydd Smith and Jay Jones standing out for us at 10 and centre. We didn’t play guys like Luke Treharne or Owen Jenkins as much as we normally would have, but the boys who stepped in were excellent. Ethan Davies also led the team well from an experience point of view, and up front there were some very good performances.”
Another youngster who will benefit from the regular game time he got in Moscow is George Gasson – something Pugh believes will be crucial for the young wing going into next season. The head coach also applauded the returning Lloyd Lewis who “took his tries well and gave a good account of himself. I’m satisfied with the way the squad was balanced.”
Although Wales will rue their second halves against Portugal and England, Pugh is sanguine about those results. “The heat and tiredness probably kicked in during the first game on day one against Portugal, and the England game was a big battle – they pulled away and we couldn’t get the ball off them. Just before half-time, we missed an opportunity to go up 14-7 but we didn’t convert that, and being the good and experienced team England are, it went the other way.”
Pleasingly for Pugh, his team bounced back after both results. Following the Portuguese encounter, Wales beat Germany 21-12, before stepping up a gear to score 48 unanswered points against Poland. After that difficult 45-14 loss to England on day two, it was Italy (29-24) and World Series rivals Spain (26-5) who bore the brunt of the red resurgence.
Overall, Wales got what they wanted from their weekend in Russia. “Just being able to put in back-to-back performances, especially on the second day. We haven’t won a game six this year when it’s really counted, so the best thing for me was how well we beat a strong Spain side. On the World Series that would have been an extra two or three points. It’s good to get the boys in competition mode.”
It means the team has a strong foundation from which to build on when they head to Poland towards the end of July for the next instalment of the Grand Prix Series.
Moscow Sevens – Day 1
POR 28-24 WAL
WAL 21-12 GER
WAL 48-0 POL
Moscow Sevens – Day 2Â
ENG 45-14 WAL
WAL 29-24 ITA
WAL 26-5 SPA
