SEVEN-TRY Wales saw off a brave effort from tournament debutants Hong Kong at the UCD Bowl in Dublin to get their first win of the Women’s Rugby World Cup.

The victory saw the Welsh women finish third in Pool A behind New Zealand and Canada and they will now go into the play-offs for the minor places.

Hong Kong didn’t start like a side that had been nilled in their first two group games, applying all the early pressure before Wales number-eight Shona Powell-Hughes’ close-range try.

That 15th-minute score got Wales going and scrum-half Keira Bevan thought she had doubled the lead soon after, only for her try to be chalked off due to a knock-on.

And when Wales were caught offside in front of the posts, Hong Kong full-back Adrienne Garvey cut the gap to two with a penalty, in the process scoring her country’s first ever World Cup points.

Rowland Phillips’ side were dealt a further blow when lock Siwan Lillicrap went to the sin bin for infringing at the ruck.

There then followed another momentous achievement for Hong Kong as centre Natasha Olson-Thorne shrugged off some weak tackling to cross.

Garvey converted and Wales trailed 10-5 against the lowest ranked nation in the tournament.

But their lead didn’t last long as wing Jess Kavanagh-Williams gathered Elinor Snowsill’s kick to touch down.

Wales moved further ahead on the stroke of half-time and their third try, finished brilliantly by Jasmine Joyce, again came from a Snowsill cross-kick.

Hong Kong flew out of the blocks in the second half and duly made it 17-15 through wing Ka Yan Chong, whose try ended a sustained period of pressure.

Kavanagh-Williams was having none of it and she crossed for a second time, and it looked like a hat-trick had followed but for a foot in touch.

However, a fifth try did come, skipper Carys Phillips charging over in the corner for a 27-15 lead, and Sioned Harries put the game out of Hong Kong’s reach with a late double.

Wales team: J Evans (D Hywel 53); J Kavanagh-Williams, G Rowland, R Wilkins, J Joyce (E Evans 72); E Snowsill, K Bevan (S Moore 53); C Hale (C Thomas 41), C Phillips (capt) (K Jones 72), M York (G Pyrs 55), S Lillicrap, M Clay, L George (R Taylor 48), Harries (R Rowe 78), S Powell-Hughes.