That’s the verdict of back row powerhouse Georgia Evans as she prepares to take on the full might of reigning champions England in Bristol on Saturday.
“It was hard last weekend, and certainly not the start we wanted. We left ourselves with a little bit too much to do towards the end,” said the Saracens forward.
“We’re really proud of the fight and commitment from all the girls, including those who came off the bench, fighting all the way to the 80th minute. But we’ve got to start better.
“I’m not really sure why we didn’t. We’ve focused a lot on us over the last couple of weeks we’ve been together.
“It’s just what happens on the day sometimes. You’ve got to give credit where credit is due – Scotland came out and fought for every little thing.
“They won the small battles we had spoken about and, unfortunately, we didn’t come off as the winners. We’ve really got to look at ourselves as individuals, as units, as a pack, and as a collective to right those wrongs going into the England game.
“We’ve got to the point now in this squad that our strength in depth is a credit to the commitment and development of all the girls that have come in. Coming back into this camp, I’ve had to fight for everything.
“The fact that I was on the bench just shows that we have so many girls coming through ready to take anybody’s shirt. The best thing is I think we’re all pushing each other for the starting shirts, which only makes us all better as individuals and a team.”
Evans came off the bench in the second half at the Arms Park in the defeat to Scotland and made an impact. A 25th cap beckons at Ashton Gate, but she’d love it to be in a starting position.
“I’d be lying if I said I wanted to be sat on the bench again. But that’s what we’re all here for, to start every game and finish every game,” said Evans.
“It gives you a little bit more momentum when you get on to try and change the energy and to keep the girls’ spirits high. I think the biggest positive we can take from the performance against Scotland is the way we fought back right up until that 80th minute.
“We were in the game the whole time, we just left ourselves with a little bit too much to do. Another positive is that we back each other 100 percent in this squad. There’s no ‘I’, there’s no ‘we’ – we’re all together.
“That’s what we’re taking from the game and moving forward we’ll stick together as one. We learn together, we have to take the lessons on the chin and put things right.”
After their third-place finish in last year’s tournament there was nothing but praise for Wales’ expanding group of professional players. That qualified them for the top-tier of the new WXV tournament, where they mixed it with the elite nations in the world.
The two-point defeat to the Scots on home soil was unexpected and unusual, and for the first time brought some criticism for Ioan Cunningham’s team. Evans admitted it hurt but also claimed it won’t deter the team at all.
“People (on social media) can criticise and it’s everybody’s right to have their own opinions. But but most of those people haven’t stepped foot on an international stage and haven’t worn the jersey,” she said.
“What we’re doing is pretty special, we’ve earned the right to be here, and I think criticism is part and parcel of playing on the international stage. We have to be able to take that and use it to toughen ourselves.
“But at the same time, it’s only white noise. We will just focus on ourselves and each other, and not listen to outside voices.”
