Cunningham takes lessons into big test with France
WALES Women head coach Ioan Cunningham is confident the squad has put last weekend’s defeat to England to bed and is firmly focused on next week’s French challenge.
Wales recorded two enthralling wins in the first two rounds of the Tiktok Women’s Six Nations, beating Ireland (19-27) and Scotland (24-19), but were brought down to earth by the No 1 team in the world, England winning 58-5 at Kingsholm.
He said: “Reflecting on last weekend’s match, it is first and foremost a great opportunity to learn from the best team in the world. We can and will take a lot from our own performance – from opportunities we didn’t take and things we could have done better – along with learning from the way England approach the game.
“We have looked at a number of areas where we didn’t perform as well as we know we can including our discipline again, but playing the top teams in the world as we have done recently with England, Canada and USA shows us the level of intensity we need to cope with and play at consistently in order to close the gap and really compete.
“The England match gave us a reality check if it were needed and shows us we have a lot of work to do. We also need to remember England are much further down the road of professionalism but we must take on board these learnings if we are to make further progress this year.”
Wales take on France next Friday at Cardiff Arms Park (8pm).
Cunningham added: “We are really excited about playing France. It gives us a chance to show we have taken on board some of the lessons as we grow as a group.
“We know France will be another tough challenge. They are one of the top three teams in the world. They have some great ball carriers and play with speed, momentum and typical French attacking style. We need to be more accurate with the ball and make sure we take our opportunities.
“The crowds have been brilliant so far. It would be fantastic for our players to create another electric atmosphere at the Arms Park next Friday night.”
Tickets are available for Wales’ remaining matches against France and Italy via wru.wales/ w6n