Wales finish 10th after 63-53 defeat by Tonga
Wales finish 10th after 63-53 defeat by Tonga
Fri, July 31, 2026 at 12:05 PM UTC
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Wales have finished in a disappointing 10th place at the Commonwealth Games after losing 63-53 to Tonga in their ranking play-off, two places lower than four years ago.
The Welsh Feathers ended their 2022 Birmingham campaign eighth and will leave Glasgow after another frustrating result in a campaign that produced one win and five defeats, having only beaten Trinidad and Tobago in the group stage.
The Welsh Feathers started brightly against Tonga, with captain Bethan Dyke feeding goal shooter Georgia Rowe well in attack to lead 10-14 at the quarter-time break.
Tonga rallied in the second, forcing Wales into errors from which they capitalised to bring the scores back level at 29–29 after 30 minutes.
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The pressure on Wales continued as Tonga took control, netting 19 goals for the second quarter in a row and stretching their lead to 10 at three-quarter time.
Tonga goal keeper Otolose Fainga'anuku was given a two-minute suspension after a dangerous contact on Dyke in the final quarter.
But Wales could not overturn the deficit after leaving themselves with too much to do.
It was the last game for head coach Emily Handyside, as she will step down from her role as planned at the conclusion of the Commonwealth Games.
Source: “AOL Sports”
