Coach praises Wales’ ‘raw determination’

Considering all of the emotions involved in Saturday’s game, Phillips expressed his pride in “a really solid performance” – one that he deemed a step up from their showing in Scotland. 

“We were under cosh for long periods against Ireland, especially in the second half,” said Phillips, “but our determination to defend our try-line was an indication of how resolved the team was to do well.” 

Incredibly, the score still read 0-0 as the first half neared its end, but in giving away a penalty Wales allowed Ireland to kick to the corner, from where they went on to score. “On the balance of the first half it was quite even, with both sides cancelling each other out quite well,” he reflected. “It was just bitterly disappointing to concede on half-time.”

In the build-up to the match, Phillips had predicted a close affair at the BT Sport Cardiff Arms Park, especially given Ireland’s results so far in the Women’s Six Nations. “We knew there wasn’t going to be much between the teams. Our phase play defence is still a work in progress, but we were a little better on the weekend. We still had to work a bit too hard for my liking, and Ireland made too many yards in the wide channels, but we certainly showed the desire to deliver on the things we’ve been working on in training.” 

Phillips cited Wales’ set piece as being one of the most pleasing aspects of his side’s performance, and added: “We played a lot more, too, which meant we tested Ireland at times. What pleased me the most, however, was that raw determination, our mentality in defending our line. Our attitude was spot on.”

There is a short turnaround this week before Wales Women fly out to France, where they face Christian Galonnier’s team in Brive. Phillips estimated that the squad will have the equivalent of one-and-a-half sessions before they travel. “We’ll be doing some reviews at tonight’s session. Some of the players will taken taken knocks and feeling stiff after the weekend, so we’ll then reconvene on Wednesday and work on some of the bigger things we need to look at.”

With it being their last fixture in this year’s edition of the competition, Phillips said this week will just be about fine-tuning. “The message is ‘get better at what we’re trying to do.’ We were a little bit better in certain parts of game defensively on Saturday, but we can still make life easier for ourselves. So we’ll be looking to improve on small things in all areas, to make sure our performance curve goes up.”

The squad will tomorrow attend the funeral of Elli Norkett, the Wales Women international to whom tributes were paid at Saturday’s game. The team’s performance and their sadness at the loss were intertwined, he said. “You can’t detach the one from the other, because of how tight-knit the squad and the rugby family is, but I thought the way the girls managed that on the weekend was admirable. It was such an emotional day, but they still kept their focus. Under the circumstances, that’s a huge statement from them. The character of this group is developing, and that was a definite positive from the weekend.” 

France Women v Wales Women kicks off this Saturday at 20:00 (GMT) at Stade Amédée Domenech in Brive. It will be streamed live on the Women’s Six Nations Facebook and YouTube channel.