Welsh rugby is in disarray following the men’s 17th successive Test defeat, with the women’s side also expected to emulate them with a Wooden Spoon – their second in a row – as they prepare to face a strong French side this weekend.
“The big focus for us is just enjoying the Welsh jersey again, and that’s started to happen,” Wales captain Hannah Jones tells The i Paper.
That shift in perspective came after the appointments of recent title-winning head coach Sean Lynn and ex-Premiership chief executive Belinda Moore as head of women’s rugby.
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Lynn joined the Welsh camp as head coach following the dismissal of Ioan Cunningham last year, less than 24 hours after winning the PWR (Premiership Women’s Rugby) with Gloucester-Hartpury.
“It feels like a breath of fresh air. With a new head coach, ‘Lynny’ brings a different energy and experience,” says Jones.
“He’s a very passionate, proud, Welshman, so it’s nice to see him bring that energy from club to country and have that winning mindset.”
It is hoped Moore’s role as head of women’s rugby will eradicate any remnants of that culture.
But while boardroom arguments seem to be under control, the focus has now turned to ironing out issues on the field, following the defensive problems seen against England and Scotland.
What Wales need to work on
In this year’s Six Nations, Wales have made the second fewest tackles with (252) and the second most missed tackles (65).
What’s more, in Georgia Evans, Jasmine Joyce-Butchers, Abbie Fleming and Keira Bevan, Wales have some of the most talented players in the Six Nations at their disposal.
Jasmine Joyce launches for England’s Megan Jones at the Principality (Photo: Getty)“Once the new system is in place, I am confident we’re going to be a very physical and hard team to beat,” she says.
Instead, though, much of the media coverage of their tournament has focused on a backlash against Joyce’s involvement in a post-match TikTok dance with England’s Sarah Bern.
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“We are always told to be us, and after 80 minutes of hard work, I said in the circle at the end, we have some learnings and we can be disappointed, but let’s enjoy the crowd who have come out to watch us,” says Jones.
And it’s working. Women’s rugby has never been more popular in Wales as a record crowd of 21,186 watched the match at the Principality Stadium – the most of any Welsh women’s home game in any sport.
“This is all because of the trailblazers who pushed before us to allow us to have this professionalism, and now we’re doing the same, making the jersey better for the future players.”
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