Wales coach Warren Gatland believes his side showed "great character" during their 17-10 victory over Samoa on Sunday.
Head coach happy to get win on the board
Wales coach Warren Gatland believes his side showed "great character" during their 17-10 victory over Samoa on Sunday.
Gatland's side were given a major scare as they went into the half-time break 10-6 behind but finally took control after the interval thanks to a try from Shane Williams.
And despite the close call, Gatland was pleased with the way his side managed to grind out the win after the narrow defeat to South Africa in their opening match of the World Cup.
"It was a tough match and I thought we showed some great character," Gatland said after the match.
"We were under pressure at half-time but the boys dug deep and showed some real character after last week's disappointment.
"We've worked really hard the last few months and you've got to show people how much it means to us to get out of this and get a W on the board.
"I thought in the last 15-20 minutes Samoa's conditioning probably told and they looked to tire a bit and weren't quite as effective in the second part of the second half as they were in the first.
Defending
"I thought we defended exceptionally well for most of the game."
Captain Sam Warburton praised Leigh Halfpenny for his contribution off the bench, which included creating the winning try for Williams.
He said: "Both sides didn't disappoint, we knew it was going to be an immensely tough battle. Samoa are very physical and it was a tough game for us.
"We wanted to keep the ball in play as much as we could and back our fitness levels towards the end of the match.
"Leigh came on and added some great momentum to the side and Shane finished it off as we've seen him do a million times before. If our backs get a sniff they're pretty handy."
Warburton also dedicated the win to the families of the four miners killed in the flooded Gleision Colliery near Pontardawe.
"We said if we lose the chances are we're probably going home so there was a lot of pressure on the boys and I would like to dedicate the win today to the families of the miners back home," he added. "Our thoughts are with them."
