Wales Women’s Rugby Team Seeks Redemption in Final Six Nations Clash
Cardiff – The Wales national rugby union team will host Italy at the Principality Stadium on Saturday, April 27, aiming to avoid the Wooden Spoon in the Women’s Six Nations Championship. Head coach Ioan Cunningham acknowledges that his side still has “learner plates on” when it comes to professionalism, with the team sitting at the bottom of the table after a 40-0 defeat against France last Sunday.
Despite the seventh consecutive loss, Cunningham believes Wales “have come a long way” since turning professional in 2022. “This team was 13th in the world, they hadn’t won a game in two and a half years,” he said. “We’ve still got L plates on when it comes to professionalism, people have got to understand that.”
While the match against France saw the visitors score six tries, Cunningham insisted it was “a much better performance” than the previous 36-5 loss to Ireland. “If the effort is there and the next action is there we’ve got something to build on,” he said. “I thought that was there today in abundance.”
However, Cunningham’s reaction has been questioned by former Wales international Dyddgu Hywel, who believes the team and coaching staff need to “raise the standards” and “expect more”. Former Wales coach Chris Horsman echoed this sentiment, stating that with the investment in the team, they should be aiming to compete with the likes of France and England.
As Wales prepare to face Italy, former captain Rachel Taylor acknowledged the team’s improved “heart, guts and grit”, but emphasized the need to address the attacking deficiencies, with the team scoring only 33 points in the entire tournament. Another former captain, Siwan Lillicrap, said Wales “have nothing to lose” and must “throw everything” at the final match to avoid finishing in sixth place.
“We’ve still got L plates on when it comes to professionalism, people have got to understand that.” – Ioan Cunningham, Wales Women’s Rugby Head Coach
The match between Wales and Italy will be broadcast live on BBC One Wales, BBC iPlayer, and BBC Radio Wales & Radio Cymru, with highlights available on Scrum V Six Nations on BBC Two Wales.
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