Not that it has been a tournament – and indeed a season – without frustrations for the former Ospreys and Scarlets flanker. “In terms of this weekend in Paris, I’m frustrated about how we had our fate in our own hands, but we didn’t deliver in our games against Kenya and Canada,” says Pugh. “We knew going into the Trophy Quarter-Final match against Canada that we were safe [after Japan’s relegation was confirmed], but looking back at the second half against Kenya on day one, it was in our control at 14-0, but we let that lead slip.
“There is relief, of course, but disappointment too in the manner in which our core status was confirmed. We had to rely on Scotland and England getting results this morning. But we’ve got to be happy. This season as a whole, we’ve done enough to emerge from one of the most competitive relegation battles to date on the World Series. We finished off with 31 points, whereas 30 points in any other season has been enough to stay up.”
With Ireland promoted next season, and claiming some big scalps already in 2018/19, Pugh emphasises the need for his side to stop repeating their mistakes: “If we want to be legitimate contenders on the World Series, we’ve got to start learning our lessons. We’ve got to capitalise on the opportunities we’ve had in the pool stages to qualify for the cup competition.”
According to Pugh, big improvements are required for next season. Wales have shown they can rise to the levels of the best teams on the circuit, and proof of that came yesterday in the Stade Jean-Bouin, where they comfortably put Australia – finalists last week in Twickenham – to the sword.
There have been other high points too, including beating the outstanding USA in Hong Kong, and England in Singapore. For a team shorn of some leading figures this season, these are the sort of results to build on. “We lost Adam Thomas, a 50-cap stalwart of the side [now with Merthyr], a world-class finisher in Luke Morgan [Ospreys], and Lloyd Evans [Ebbw Vale], who was a central figure in the squad. You don’t replace them overnight.”
The upside of having to blood a host of new players is that a new generation has been asked to step into these big boots. Many of those youngsters will soon be reporting back for regional duty. “There’s a big opportunity for them to show what they’ve learnt on the series,” says Pugh. “I’m excited to see what the likes of Tom Rogers [Scarlets], Joe Goodchild [Dragons] and Ben Cambriani [Ospreys] do back in fifteens.”
The World Rugby Sevens Series is now over, but Wales’ core players will soon be back in training for Rugby Europe, with the Grand Prix Series kicking off in Moscow in three weeks’ time. For that, Wales will be without any young regional players, although selection for next season’s World Series campaign is an ongoing process, with regional squads likely to be stretched due to the Rugby World Cup in Japan.
“We’ll reflect as coaching team and make sure we’re doing what’s best for the players,” Pugh says.
