Magnificent Wales seven clear first Hong Kong hurdle

Mar 29 2008 by Phil Blanche, Western Mail

WALES cruised to a comfortable 34-0 victory over Zimbabwe to clear their first Hong Kong Sevens hurdle.

Aggressive defence and intelligent use of the inside channels was the key as Zimbabwe were routed.

“We played some great sevens,” said Wales coach Gareth Baber, while admitting his side face sterner tests against Fiji and Korea today.

“They had a lot of quality, but I was pleased with our intensity.”

The only slight worry for Wales was a “stinger” shoulder to James Lewis, but they were quickly into their stride with tries from Gareth Owen and Aled Brew.

Lee Williams then dodged through a bemused defence and Johnathan Edwards scored either side of the interval to put Wales in cruise control.

Replacement Alec Jenkins finished the scoring and the impressive margin of victory could be crucial in Wales’ bid to make the last eight.

Each of the pool winners qualify automatically with the other two quarter-final places being filled by the best-placed second pool sides.

Those spots will be determined first by championship points and then by points difference.

Ben Ryan believes England must improve quickly for a fifth Hong Kong Sevens title in seven years.

A young England side – featuring five of the Grand Slam-winning under-20 team – opened their Pool B campaign with a 24-12 defeat of Canada on day one of the world’s most prestigious sevens event.

But tougher obstacles lie in wait, with the final pool fixture against defending champions Samoa likely to determine who progresses as winners, before potential knockout ties against overwhelming favourites New Zealand – who extended their record winning streak to 37 games – and perennial crowd-pleasers Fiji.

Northampton’s John Brake crossed for a fantastic individual score before Sale’s Chris Mayor, Sunnybank’s Ben Gollings and Worcester’s Matthew Cox touched down in the second half to seal victory over Canada.

England coach Ryan was pleased with the performance of his team.

“Potentially, we’ve got a lovely little mix here,” said Ryan. “But we know that Samoa are around the corner and it’s winner-takes-all – you can’t guarantee you’re going to go through as a best runner-up.”

First up on day two are Sri Lanka, who were valiant in a 35-7 loss to Samoa, whose captain Uale Mai made a record 51st appearance at an IRB World Sevens Series event.

“The Sri Lankans will learn and get better,” added Ryan. “They’re not going to prove an easy game.”

Scotland, targeting a 10th successive cup quarter-final place, scored four tries in a 26-10 defeat of Portugal in Pool E.