WALES won the bowl competition in the London section of the International Board sevens at Twickenham yesterday.

It was consolation for missing out in the major competition when they lost to England and Samoa.

They beat Portugal 15-12 thanks to an extra time penalty by Gareth Bowen. Wales recovered from a 12-0 deficit to beat a Portugal team which plays together regularly.

It was the first time Wales have beaten them after a defeat and a draw in previous tournaments.

In the bowl semi-finals Wales convincingly beat Russia 33-12. And they really hit form to beat Scotland 31-19 in the final. Scrum half Gareth Baber, who has moved from Bristol to Bridgend, scored a hat-trick of tries.

"We're very plpeased after a hard first day when we lost to two good sides in England and Samoa," said team manager John Ryan of Newport.

Wales skipper Jason Forster was outstanding throughout while Newport teammates Matthew Watkins and Emyr Lewis scored tries.

Wales host the final leg of the series this weekend when Rodney Parade will be the stage for the event on Saturday before it comes to a climax at the Millennium Stadium on Sunday.

New Zealand, boosted by the inclusion of superstar Jonah Lomu, are within touching distance of retaining their title after the series has been all over the world in the past six months.

They won the London leg of the tournament by beating rivals Australia 19-12 in a thrilling final.

In extra time replacement Mana Ashford put Amasio Valence over for the clinching try. That means they need reach the semi-finals in Wales this weekend to clinch the title again.