WALES endured another torrid tournament in the World Rugby Sevens Series but head coach Richie Pugh was impressed by novice Dragons speedster Rio Dyer in New Zealand.
Wales were hammered 54-7 by rampant Fiji and also suffered defeats to Australia and Argentina in Pool D and it didn’t get much better on day two in Hamilton with losses to Spain and France.
They cannot afford to wallow with another tough challenge in Sydney this weekend after being drawn against New Zealand, Scotland and the Spanish.
World Cup winner Pugh is hopeful that his young charges can learn quickly after a chastening experience that sees them sitting 14th in the rankings.
"You don't want to gloss over anything and say that we're getting better for losing, but the lessons were learnt,” he said.
“We got completely schooled in the contact area against Fiji, and showed signs of improvement against Australia.
“When you're new to the game, the lessons come thick and fast. Even though a game is only 14 minutes, so much can happen in that time."
Dyer provided some reason for optimism with the rapid 19-year-old from Rogerstone, who made five regional appearances last season, scoring tries against Australia, Argentina and France.
“For someone like Rio, completely new to the game, he doesn't know good he can be at sevens," said Pugh about the Wales Under-20s international.
"With his X-factor, that blistering pace, he can be a dangerous player on the series, but it's about instilling that confidence.
“You want him to open up and show what he's got. He needs to learn about the game and keep developing, which is part of the programme.”
TOP 5: Speeds tracked at the #NZSevens featuring:@OfficialKRU @WelshRugbyUnion @RugbyCanada @fijirugby @USARugby pic.twitter.com/yD7JWezp2q
— World Rugby Sevens (@WorldRugby7s) January 27, 2019
Dyer was joined in the squad for New Zealand by Dragons teammates George Gasson, who scored against Spain, and Joe Goodchild.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here