2026 WXV Global Series preview: Wales

Wales have everything to gain from this year’s WXV Global Series. After a false start in their Guinness Women’s Six Nations campaign, players, coaches and fans will be eagerly awaiting some positive results and a sign that the tide is turning.

It’ll likely be a nervous campaign. Since assuming the role in 2025, Head Coach Sean Lynn has been adamant that “changes are being made” in the Wales set up.

But Lynn is fighting on two fronts. Not only trying to blood new young personnel into credible internationals but also find a rhythm that defines Wales’ playing style.

The question remains about whether Lynn can replicate his three-peat winning form with Gloucester Hartpury in Premiership Women’s Rugby PWR with Wales. Of course they have Lleucu George, masterful as ever behind the boot. Can Lynn find that winning formula with the players he has?

After the Guinness Women’s Six Nations, Lynn said: “It takes time, but I understand the frustration from the external. I get it. Gloucester Hartpury’s success came from hard work. It didn’t just come from ‘Sean Lynn came on board’ and those results came. It was two years hard graft before that. I’m not putting any timeline on it where I’m going to be seeing those results”

Recent form

Their narrowest defeat came from their lively 24-19 opener against Scotland, where Wales were pressing up the field in the final 10 minutes for a winning try.

They then faced the titans: France on a war path, the gargantuan Red Roses and a rising green wave from Ireland in Belfast. By the time they faced Italy the squad was too spent to put up a worthy fight.

Room for improvement largely can be directed towards Wales’ second half performances. They could push the opposition until the end of the first half, but struggled to remain clinical after the break and this is where many teams ran away with the game.

In a recent interview for BBC Sport Wales, strength and conditioning coach Gareth Harris stressed, “We have good components and lots of good elements and in the Six Nations we probably had that forty minute performance but actually moving forward, we are an 80-minute team.

“That’s the thing that we’ve gone after. We want to push the dial and we want to know that when we get to the game, we’re ready for the games. We’re not just waiting to get there.”

Their six tries in their uncapped Barbarians 34-17 win in June hinted at a growing try scoring capability. Whether these opportunities will translate on the international stage is a key question to be answered.

Biggest Tests

Wales face two tough opponents for their home WXV Global Series games, South Africa on Friday 19 September and the USA Women’s Eagles the following Saturday 26 September, both at Cardiff Arms Park.

They will have to front up against the South African pack, who have been executing with ruthless confidence this summer. In their 12-55 thrashing of Fiji in August, seven of the nine tries were scored by forwards – four of those from the front row alone. But Maria Tshiremba’s debut hat-trick in the second 29-22  win in their second Test against Fiji attests to the finishing capabilities of the outside backs that can’t be overlooked.

Likewise, the USA are a team in a similar place to Wales, in terms of developing pathways and young talent. The USA seemed to switch off in the first of their two Tests against South Africa in July, which suggests if you come out all guns blazing, their young squad might not know how to recover.

Yet in the second Test, and after a large starting XV re-shuffle, the USA showed resolve and a poised degree of cohesion, characteristic of a top performing international sides that was impressive. Whether we will see the former or the latter against Wales will be interesting.

For the away leg of the series, they play two Tests against Japan in Tokyo and Kumagaya. The Sakura Fifteen achieved another convincing win in the Asia Rugby Championships but have not played a major international fixture since Women’s Rugby World Cup last September, which saw them come third in Pool C with losses New Zealand and Ireland but a ended their tournament with a 29-21 win against Spain. This could be the victory tour for a triumphant Wales or a last-gasp attempt for a 2026 win.

Star Players

Hopefully we will see Wales best ball carriers like Sisilia Tuipulotu up front or the pace of Courtney Keight who has had a good return to form. Plus they will be joined by the returned Alex Callender, who missed the Women’s Six Nations with an ankle injury, but captained the summer Barbarians fixture.

Kelsey Jones rarely gets her flowers, but she has been classy all season with Gloucester Harptury and took tries against Scotland, England and Italy in the Six Nations via the maul set piece that is becoming more reliable for Wales each game. It will be great to see her go head-to-head against her opposites like Micke Gunther or Lindelwa Gwala, particularly in those battles for accuracy.

Keira Bevan and Lleucu George will likely continue their scrum and fly-half combination. They will bring the most experienced pairing of their opponents. Bevan had a strong game against England, including a try in the highest points scored against the Red Roses to date.

Maisie Davies had an impressive Women’s Six Nations campaign and it’ll be great to see how she fares opposite the likes of Springbok Women captain Babalwa Latsha.

Prediction

Though Wales do have a large task ahead of them, they have nothing to lose and everything to gain from this WXV Global Series campaign.

They have every opportunity and it’s feasible that they will earn four wins from four. Although the USA and South Africa have been building impressively, Wales are still a step up in Test-level for them. There is an abundance of class in their set up that competes across the PWR and Celtic Challenge and with that comes detail, patience and clarity to their game.

Game management will be key. They need that 80-minute performance, and they need to fire from the first whistle. They cannot be caught on the back foot and become entrenched in their previous situations of winning from behind.

The rewards to be gained from a good campaign and the promise of a bright future for Welsh rugby are huge and this WXV Global Series would be the perfect opportunity to give Welsh rugby some hope and excitement. Everybody is rooting for them too.