“The performance was the real focus of the exercise,” said Phillips, whose side won 26-20 at Principality Stadium on Wednesday evening. “This was an opportunity for me to look at players with a view to planning over the next four to eight years.”
Tries from captain Liliana Podpadec, Darcy Thomas, Alex Callender and Manon Johnes came from a desire to play running rugby, and ensured plenty of enjoyment for the attending supporters.
Phillips said: “There was no pressure on the girls not to make mistakes, because generally if people aren’t making mistakes, they aren’t really trying anything. We told them not to have any regrets, and the only pressure we put on them was to keep up the intensity for the whole match – something they might not have experienced before.”
The head coach praised the “outstanding work” being done by the clusters, clubs and regions in producing a flow of promising young players. “What we’re seeing now is a lot more girls playing rugby; quality players coming through into regional system,” he said. “We had 27 girls involved on Wednesday, and I’d be comfortable that we could pick another 27 if we had another fixture coming soon. We’re starting to see the depth developing in women’s rugby.”
The senior Wales Women team has already qualified for the 2021 World Cup, but Phillips remarked that a number of the players who featured on Wednesday will be preparing for 2025. “That’s the excitement for us as coaches: there are so many young, talented players coming through the regional programme,” said Phillips. “We’re reaping the reward of the hard work in getting so many girls involved in rugby, where five years ago we didn’t have that depth of quality.”
Phillips emphasised that although it may have been a glamorous – and winning – start for the girls at Principality Stadium, the hard work starts now. “Our senior players make a lot of sacrifices to represent their country, with long journeys to training, early hours and a hunger to get better and fitter,” he said. “If these girls can show that ambition then they’ll go far.”
