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U.S. 'earns respect' Wales coach hits out after thrashing U.S. 42-11
CARDIFF (Reuters) -- Wales coach Graham Henry hit out at his team after it stuttered to a 42-11 victory against the U.S. at the Millennium Stadium. Wales had been expected to run up a mammoth score against a side that is still regarded as lightweight in world rugby. But it was a disappointing afternoon for the hosts, even though they ran in six tries. "I thought we were complacent going into the game," said Henry. "We beat Samoa last week and we thought we were going to win this time. "Our mental approach wasn't right and so we played with a lot of inaccuracy. "It's possible there will be a few changes for our match against South Africa next week." In the first period, the home fans were restless as Wales lacked structure and cohesion. It took them 12 minutes to open their account when they worked the ball wide for left wing Dafydd James to run in from 12 meters. The Welsh failed to capitalize on that lead, and the U.S. should have been ahead after 15 minutes. But flyhalf Grant Wells put two kickable penalties wide of the posts. In the 26th minute, Welsh captain Mark Taylor scored his side's second try, and flyhalf Arwel Thomas converted to take the score to 12-0. But Wales could only manage two further penalties by Thomas before the break while Wells was successful with his third attempt at goal. The Welsh were ahead 18-3 at halftime. Superb tryThe U.S. hit back almost immediately after the break with a superb try by their own left wing Malakai Delai. For the rest of the match, they tackled their hearts out but ran out of steam in the final quarter. A mesmerizing individual score by Thomas in the 55th minute was the perfect wake-up call for the Welsh. Thereafter they looked fresher and further touchdowns followed from James, fullback Rhys Williams and replacement stand-off Neil Jenkins. But the late flurry meant the final score hardly did the visitors justice. The Americans' Australian coach Duncan Hall was pleased with his side's performance. "I thought we earned the respect of the rugby world today," he said. "The final score was not a reflection of the way we played. I thought we caused Wales problems all afternoon and put them under enormous pressure."
Copyright 2003 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.
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