You would forgive the players and staff for having a low morale, but this certainly isn’t the case! As a squad and as a team the belief is still strong and the improvement is evident.
The defeat to France saw us face the hosts at home on a Friday evening. With a significantly larger pack and an unsympathetic home crowd it was never going to be an easy game.
Wales dominated in the scrums and sustained good pressure and territory throughout the game. Hearing the Welsh supporter singing Calon Lân through the sea of French chants was something I will always remember.
The pressure was clear on the French hosts but they were still able to put points on the score board with an interception and a well-executed cross field kick. With many opportunities not being capitalised upon the by us, the finishing score-line was a disappointment and a hazy representation of our work, commitment and effort.
Focusing on disappointments and missed opportunities is not the way to become successful during this campaign and these points cannot be dwelled on. After the squad regrouped it was time to move on and focus on the positives with the next job to do.
Between the two games we were granted our first full day off. The majority of the girls headed into Paris for the day, visiting famous sights including the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame and the Pyramide du Louvre.
It also gave some of the girls an opportunity to spend time with their family and friends who have travelled out to watch the games. The team were also asked to be filmed for some IRB promotional footage, an exhilarating game of petanque which certainly lightened the mood. It gave us the opportunity for some down time; a time to rest and re-energise before the next four day cycle.
With a fresh day the focus now turned to Australia, a fast paced team with a lot of 7s experience.
The team run and training had continued to go well and we were excited for the challenge that lay ahead of us. Personally this was another huge game for me and one I was delighted to be selected for.
On the eve of the game we were presented with our match jerseys by the one and only Jamie Roberts which was a great surprise to the girls. As you can imagine, the opportunity to get a selfie was grabbed with open arms!
I knew my brother was watching the match from Australia and my family had made the journey over to watch – my parents first ever flight! Again, the score line and the result wasn’t one we had hoped for and the Australian team capitalised on our mistakes.
I strongly believe if we focus on the positives and capitalise on our changes, good things will happen!
As a squad we are tighter than ever and with a few little tweaks we will be ready to take on the next challenge; South Africa tomorrow.
Â
