Jones Full Of Praise As Wales Pull Off Series Win Against France

Men’s Head coach Zak Jones hailed his squad after they beat France 2-1 in a three test series in Paris.

Gareth Furlong scored the only goal as Wales won the opening game at the French Institute of Sport.

The hosts, ranked No 17 in the world compared to Wales at 34, responded in the second game with a 6-0 win.

But the squad responded to the whitewash to produce a sensational 4-2 win in the last match to clinch the series.

Cardiff&Met’s Luke Hawker struck twice with James Carson and Dale Hutchinson adding the other goals.

The victory was a huge boost ahead of their World League Rd 2 tournament which starts in Belfast on march 11th.

Coach Jones said: “As well as allowing the group to clarify its key playing principles, the series also provided valuable game time against a significantly higher ranked nation.

“It also highlighted the level of execution and attention to detail required in order to compete and be successful at the next level of competition.

“The second test reinforced this point to the squad and was a valuable, if painful, lesson to learn at this stage.

“However, I was hugely impressed with the response from the group and was very proud of the performance that followed in the final test to secure the series win.”

The series also saw Alf Dinnie make his senior debut and Ben Edge reach the half century mark.

But there was huge disappointment for half back Steve Kelly who will miss the Belfast trip after suffering a broken hand.