Evans captained a youthful side at the CCB Centre of Sporting Excellence, with a number of inexperienced players given the opportunity to impress Rowland Phillips and his coaching team.
Evans believes there were positive signs in the team’s performance on Sunday, but insists it’s important for her side to remain focused as Wales continue preparations towards August’s World Cup.
“It was a big opportunity to give some of the youngsters a run out, as they’ve been training well over the past five weeks and have deserved their chance against Japan,” said Evans.
“We knew Japan were going to be strong, and that’s what we’ve discussed all week – their physicality and the pace they get on the ball. The score isn’t something we’re going to reflect on too much but we’ve got a lot to work on in the next few weeks.
“This is the first game we’ve played, and even though we’ve been training for the past five weeks, this week is the first time we’ve put everything together in training. We’ll go back to training this week and then look forward to our next game against Spain.
“I think the girls have put the management team a bit of a headache in terms of selection. A lot of experienced girls were missing, but the younger players stepped up and gave the coaches something to think about ahead of the World Cup.
“We’re all training hard, and when it comes to the World Cup we’ll need to step up and anything can happen during those three to four weeks in Ireland.
“Every warm-up game will help us. We’ve had 80 minutes here to look at and see where we can improve before going back onto the paddock on Thursday and work hard in training.
“The score might be a bit disappointing to look at, but aspects of the performance and what we still have to bring in is something we can all look forward to. Of course, I’m over the moon to have captained the side. It’s the type of opportunity you dream of when you begin to play rugby.”
