Wales Rising: A Six Nations Cinderella Story
Wales’ win over Ireland in round one marked their first Six Nations victory since 2019. With two wooden spoons in two years, Welsh fans had little to cheer about. This year has been a different story – Wales have taken home two bonus point wins in the opening rounds of the TikTok Six Nations, and look like a much sharper outfit. The majority of the Welsh squad are now professional or semi-professional which has undoubtedly played a major part in the team’s turnaround.
January 2022 saw the unveiling of 12 full time contracts for Welsh players, the first female athletes to be professionally contracted by the Welsh Rugby Union. Head Coach Ioan Cunningham had tough selections to make on which players to bring on board full time, but given performances in the opening rounds of the TikTok Six Nations it’s fair to say he made the right calls. Among the chosen few is Alisha Butchers, who has been phenomenal in the back row, putting in a player of the match performance in Wales’ 27 – 19 win over Ireland. This will be a dream come true for the Bristol Bears player, who was forced to crowdfund £5,000 for ankle surgery last year after sustaining an injury in training. Carys Phillips and Ffion Lewis are also among the ranks of the core contracted players, and both were instrumental try scorers in Wales’s second round victory over Scotland.
Centre Hannah Jones says professional contracts have had a ‘huge impact so far’ both on and off the field. Jones notes that ‘we’re going into the gym fresh and so we’re able to carry and tackle harder’. Gwen Crabb, a recipient of one of the fifteen additional part time ‘retainer’ contracts, says that she has ‘gained weight, and a lot of strength and power in the gym which is transferring onto the field’. Consistency is key when looking to make strength gains, and the freedom to commit to multiple training sessions in the week will have helped immensely. Physicality has played a significant part in Wales’ game so far, with prop forward Donna Rose powering over the line twice against Ireland, and such successes will only increase as players feel the benefit of increased time in the gym.
The squad’s skillset has also flourished, with Crabb commenting that there is now more time to ‘focus on skill development and minute details, which has allowed me to have more confidence’. Jones agrees, saying that professionalism has allowed more time to be spent on ‘simple things like catch-pass, which we’ve rushed before…our fitness has gotten a lot better, and we’re able to finish the game in the last twenty minutes now’. The ability to close out a game has been striking in this years’ performances with Wales have scored in the final five minutes to take the lead in both rounds so far.
A full 8??0??-minute performance is what @WelshRugbyUnion attack coach @whiffy15 wants in Gloucester on Saturday. #ENGvWAL #TikTokW6N
— Guinness Women's Six Nations (@Womens6Nations) April 7, 2022
There is also the mental side of professionalism. As well as an increased opportunity to recover from training and games, Jones says that mental preparation has been key – ‘we have a performance planner where we write down what we want from the week and transform this into the game. I’ve had the time to put in to prepare.’ Crabb agrees, saying that she’s previously arrived to training ‘flustered’, but is now able to concentrate on mindset and ‘make the most of every training’.
Despite success so far, a challenge lies ahead for the Welsh in the form of their round three fixture against England at Kingsholm this Saturday 9th April. In recent years England have dominated not only the Six Nations but the World Rugby rankings, securing top spot and neatly dispatching second place rivals New Zealand in the Autumn series. When asked how the Welsh squad are feeling ahead of taking on the reigning champions, Crabb admits that playing the Red Roses is ‘another level up….England are the best team in the world with lots of strength and depth…but we are looking forward to the challenge and showing that we can compete against the best’.
.@GwenCrabb says @WelshRugbyUnion are no longer overawed by the England challenge #TikTokW6N | #ENGvWAL | ??????? v ??????? pic.twitter.com/P1L3nc0Zfi
— Guinness Women's Six Nations (@Womens6Nations) April 8, 2022
There is a real sense of belief emanating from Jones and Crabb that the Welsh squad can pose a threat to the Red Roses. Many Welsh players cross the bridge to play in the Allianz Premier 15s competition with and against their English rivals, and Crabb says that ‘playing alongside the English girls fills us with confidence – we are competing and shining in [the league]….in previous years we’ve seen them as better players than us, now we see that we’re the same level’.
There is no doubt that this weekend’s clash at Kingsholm will be one to watch, and it will be interesting to see whether Wales can provide a true test to the Red Roses on the back of fledgling professionalism.
Comments on RugbyPass
The World Cup has to be the gold standard, line in the sand. 113 teams compete for what is the opportunity to make the pool stages, and then the knockout games for the trophy. The concept is sound. But I’m all for Looking forward and finding new ways for the SH to dominate the NH into the future. The autumn series needs a change up. Let’s start by having the NH teams come south every odd year for the Autumn/Spring series games?
1 Go to commentsWhat’ll happen when the AI models of the future go back in time and try to destroy the AI models of the past standing in their way of certain victory?
41 Go to commentsThanks, Nick. We (Seanny Maloney, Brett and I) just discussed Charlie as a potential Wallaby No 8, and wondered if he has truly realised how big he is in contact (and whether he can add 5 kg w/o slowing down). Your scouting report confirms our suspicions he has the materiel. No one knows if he has the mentality (as Johann van Graan said this week about CJ, Duane and Alfie B) to carry 10-15 times a game.
57 Go to commentsHe would be a great player for the Stormers, Dobbo should approach the guy.
3 Go to commentsGood article. A few years back when he was playing for the Cheetahs, he was a quiet standout for exactly the seasons stated here. I occasionally get to see his games in the UK, and he has become a more complete player and in many ways like an Irish player. His work ethic is so suitable to the Leinster game. I wonder if Rassie would have him listed somewhere.
3 Go to commentsResults probably skewed by the fact that a few clubs have foreign fly halves in their 30s, but most teams have young English scrum halves. Results also likely to be skewed by the fact that many teams rely on centres and fullbacks to provide depth at 10, whereas they will need to stock a large number of specialist backup 9s.
1 Go to commentsI really get the sense that when all is said and done, the path of least resistance will end up being a merger of Wasps & Worcester that essentially kills the Worcester Warriors brand and sees Wasps permanently playing at Sixways. I’m not saying that’s what should happen or what I want to happen. I just think it’s the easiest rout to take and therefore, will be what happens. Wasps will definitely return to play first, and I suppose it all depends on if they can find support at Sixways. If people turn up and support Wasps in that community, at that ground, I bet they drop the Sevenoaks plan and just remain at Sixways. Under the radar but not totally unrelated, it looks as though London Irish are going to be brought back from the dead by a German consortium and look set to return, likely to the remade Championship. It’s set to have 12 clubs next season with 14 in 2025/26, what do you want to bet those extra 2 are Wasps and London Irish?
2 Go to commentsThe shoulder is a “joint” with multiple bones. You don’t “fracture” a shoulder, you fracture any one or more of the bones that make up a shoulder.
2 Go to commentsOh dear, bones too suspect to continue?
2 Go to commentsBold headline considering the Canes and Blues are 1 and 2 and the Brumbies were soundly beaten by the Chiefs and Blues. Biggest surprise is Rebels 4 Crusaders 12 - no one saw that coming. If Aus are improving that’s great 👍
1 Go to commentsAnna, You are right, we need to have patience whilst the others catch up to England and France. Also it is the PWR that has been the game changer for England. the RFU put money into that initially at the expense of the Red Roses. I was sceptical at first but it has paid off in spades.
1 Go to commentsI think Matt Proctor became a 1 test AB in the same fixture. Cameron is quality and has been great this season, can’t believe’s he only 27. Realistically how would he not be selected for ABs squad this year. Only Dmac is ahead of him as a specialist 10. With Jordan out, it will come down to where and when Beauden Barrett slots back in, and where they want to play Ruben Love. Cameron seems an absolute lock in for the wider squad though. Added benefit of TJ-Cameron-Jordie combination at 9, 10, 11 too.
1 Go to commentsFarcical, to what end would someone want to pay to keep this thing going.
1 Go to commentsHavili, our best 12 by a mile, will be in the squad, if he stays fit. JB is the most overrated AB in the last 50 years.
61 Go to commentsWe had during the week twilight footy, twilight cricket, tw golf plus there was the athletics club. Then the weekend was rugby 15s plus the net ball, really busy club scene back then but so much has changed and rugby has suffered. And it was all about changing lifestyles.
6 Go to commentsIn the 70s and 80s my club ran 5 Senior sides plus a Vets. Now it is 2 sides with an occasional 3rd team. Players have difficulty getting to training now, not sure why and the commitment is not there. It seems to me more a problem of people applying themselves and not expecting to turn up and play whenever they want to.
6 Go to commentsROG’s contract is until 2027. The conversation about a successor to Galthie after RWC 2027 may be starting now. We can infer that Galthie’s reign stops then. He is throwing the Irish Coaching Job angle in because he is Irish. The next Irish coach MUST be Leo Cullen. As well as being the best coach available, coaching the vast majority of Irish Internationals week in week out, he has shown incredible skill at recruiting the best coaching staff for the job in hand. That was a failing in France. Cullen is a shrewd guy and if there is a need for foreign coaches underneath him he won’t hesitate. Rightly so. Ireland does need to start to bring Irish coaches through. Not just at the professional level but we need to train coaches to man new pathways for developing kids from schools/clubs up through the divisions.
8 Go to commentsNo Islam says it must rule where it stands Thus it is to be deleted from this planet Earth
19 Go to commentsThis team probably does not beat the ABs sadly Not sure if BPA will be available given his signing for Force but has to enter consideration. Very strong possibility of getting schooled by the AB props. Advantage AB. Rodda/Skelton would be a tasty locking combination - would love to see how they get on. Advantage Wallabies. Backrow a risk of getting out hustled and outmuscled by ABs. Will be interesting to see if the Blues feast on the Reds this weekend the way they did the Brumbies we are in big trouble at the breakdown. Great energy, running and defence but goalkicking/general kicking/passing quality in the halves bothers me enormously. SA may have won the World Cup for a lot of the tournament without a recognised goalkicker but Pollard in the final made a difference IMO. Injuries and retirements leave AB stocks a bit lighter but still stronger. 12 and 13 ABs shade it (Barret > Paisami, Ione = Ikitau, arguably) Interesting clash of styles on the wings - Corey Toole running around Caleb Clark and Caleb running over the top of Toole. Reece vs Koro probably the reverse. Pretty even IMO. 15s Kelleway = Love See advantage to ABs man for man, but we are not obviously getting slaughtered anywhere which makes a nice change. Think talent wise we are pretty even and if our cohesion and teamwork is better than the ABs then its just about doable.
11 Go to commentsCompletely agree. More friday night games would be a hit. RFU to make sure every club has a floodlit pitch. Club opens again Saturday to welcome touch / tag. Minis and youths on Sunday
6 Go to comments