QUESTIONS AFTER LATE HEARTBREAK
WALES legend Elinor Snowsill has questioned the leaders in Ioan Cunningham’s squad after their narrow 20-18 defeat to Scotland in their Women’s Six Nations opener.
Cunningham’s side battled hard but suffered late heartbreak as back-up kicker Lleucu George missed a conversion n the 79th minute that would have tied the game.
But it was another incident that left fans frustrated after the match, as Welsh debutant Sian Jones kicked the ball into touch with the clock in the red, as one final chance to win the game went begging.
Scrum-half Jones had come off the bench to make her first appearance for Wales, but no player in a red jersey tried to prevent her from kicking it, instead watching on as the ball went out of play and the final whistle blew.
Defending the 19-year-old, Snowsill – who announced her retirement last year after winning 76 Welsh caps – said her teammates should have stepped in as she asked: “Where are the leaders?”
“That is the risk of bringing on someone on their first cap today,” she said on BBC Radio Wales. “I’m not blaming Sian Jones, it was her decision to kick but there’s 14 players around her. Where are the leaders around her stepping up to support her?”
Cunningham defended his decision to send Jones on for her debut five minutes from time, saying: “We back everyone that is in our squad. We managed to get that try and we made the decision to get Sian on.
“We want to give Sian the opportunity to experience Test rugby, she has earned the right to be in this group. I thought when she came on she moved the ball really well.”
On the missed conversion, he added: “We have got quality kickers, both Lleucu and Keira are good kickers, it just didn’t work at that time for Lleucu unfortunately. But she is a quality player and normally slots them.”
It was Cunningham’s side who drew first blood with Bevan scoring an early penalty to get them off the mark. But they soon found themselves behind as Scotland blew them away with a move straight off the training ground, with Grant racing clear of Hesketh and the returning Jasmine Joyce to cross in the corner.
Scotland were dominant in the opening 40 minutes but failed to turn possession and territory into points, while they struggled to win their own lineouts. The resilient Welsh defence created greater problems for the visitors, with Callender, Tuipulotu and Bethan Lewis all proving thorns in their side at the breakdown.
With Bevan slotting another penalty, Wales went into the break 10-6 down, but knew they would need to come out fighting in the second half if they were going to move back into the lead. However, it was Scotland who made the first move after halftime, with Orr proving too quick for the Welsh defence and setting up Lloyd, who dodged Joyce’s flying tackle to grab a second try for her side.
However, Wales’ heads didn’t drop and they moved back within four points as the Scottish defence finally broke down under pressure from Tuipulotu, who bundled over. With Scotland suffering injury blows to Lana Skeldon and Sarah Bonar, it looked as though momentum was with Cunningham’s side, but the visitors managed to keep them at bay until the dying moments.
It was a grandstand finish, as Scotland’s Alex Stewart was shown a yellow card on her debut and Wales made their player advantage count, with a determined Callender getting the ball down over the line with 90 seconds to go. The 6,000 fans inside Arms Park held their breath as George lined up her kick, but it wasn’t to be and Scotland held on to claim victory.