“How much up the rankings do we have to go until we don’t have to buy our own hoodies?” was the joke one player made in the Welsh camp after men’s World Cup qualification was secured over the weekend.

Twenty four hours later and Wales had made inroads to their aim of further climbing the world rankings with victory over France to win the European qualification finals. Planning for Bhubaneswar in early 2023 can begin in earnest.

For now, Wales co-captain Luke Hawker will be back lecturing in sport at Cardiff Metropolitan University on Monday morning.

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