Day one of the HSBC Sydney Sevens was the scene of one of Wales’ biggest wins of the past four years.
Playing back-to-back series champions and Olympic gold medallists Fiji, coach Gareth Williams’s side scored four tries, including a hat-trick from Morgan Williams, to beat the Pacific islanders. It was their first win against Fiji since 2013 and ended a 14-match losing streak.
“That game made us feel like on our day, we can beat anyone,” said captain Sam Cross. “We want to be a top six team by the end of the series and if we are going to do that, we have to get wins against teams like Fiji. The competition is fiercer than ever, certainly since I have been playing, and every win matters. That one mattered a lot to us.”
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After four rounds, Wales are seventh in the standings with 40 points, averaging 10 series points per round. At this stage last year Wales averaged 3.5 series points per round and had a total of just 14 after four tournaments. They have made three Cup quarter-finals so far in 2016-17. Last season they made two Cup quarter-finals in the whole series, so progress is evident.
“There are a lot of changes from last year. We had four core contracted players last year, which meant a lot of rotation with new players coming in and out,” explained Cross. “Now, we have eight core contracted players and more consistency.
“Pre-season for a lot of the lads started in July, that’s a good five months of conditioning and training before the series. Six weeks on, two weeks off, it was a good way to get everyone up to speed. When Rio was over we all joined together and built a solid foundation before Dubai, which went well as a tournament for us.”
In Dubai, Wales got three wins and eventually lost 36-5 to tournament champions South Africa in the Cup semi-final to go through to the bronze final, where they lost 38-10 to England. In Cape Town, another Cup quarter-final and unfortunately another match against the Blitzboks, who with the home crowd behind them beat the Welsh 33-0.
Wellington, the third round of the series, proved a bit of a banana skin for Wales who failed to make the top two in their pool.
“We got ahead of ourselves in Wellington and almost looked beyond the pool stages,” said Cross. “We weren’t as focused as we should have been and got caught out.”
Losses to Canada (28-5) and Scotland (31-7) in the pool stages put them into an eventual Challenge Trophy semi-final against Australia, which they lost 24-10. A 12th place finish overall heading into Sydney probably didn’t have the squad believing a shock win against Fiji was on the cards.
“We’re winning close games this series, games we probably wouldn’t have won previously,” said Cross. “Against Argentina in Dubai, we won on the buzzer. Against France in Sydney we won late when Ethan (Davies) scored and converted. Another close win, but it’s making a big difference to our progress.”
Unfortunately for Wales, they met hosts Australia in the Cup quarter-finals, losing 26-0 to Andy Friend’s side, and in the upcoming fifth round of the series in Las Vegas, they will face South Africa, Canada and France in Pool A.
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“South Africa are the team to beat, they have been formidable this series,” said Cross. “Without Kwagga Smith and Seabelo Senatla though, we will see how that goes.
“Canada, they beat us in Wellington and we have to bounce back against them. France are also another team we can’t underestimate, it’s going to be another tough round on the series.”