Wales welcomes England to the sold-out Cardiff Arms Park with the possibility of a Triple Crown in today’s Women’s 6 clash.
Both sides won their opening two games, with Ioan Cunningham’s hosts beating Ireland and Scotland in their opening two games. Thus, a famous victory over England would give Wales the Triple Crown.
Of course, Wales have not beaten the Red Roses since 2015, with England remaining the dominant force in women’s rugby despite losing to New Zealand in the World Cup final last fall. However, as Wales continue their journey as pros, today’s clash will at least provide an indication of how big the gap is for standard-bearers. of women’s rugby today.
It’s time to start 2:15 p.m., The match is being broadcast live on BBC Two and iPlayer, and we’ll also update live during the day on our live blog below. Stay tuned for what is set to be an exciting day.
Wales: Courtney Keight; Lisa Neumann, Hannah Jones (captain), Hannah Bluck, Lowri Norkett; Elinor Snowsill, Keira Bevan; Gwenllian Pyrs, Kelsey Jones, Sisilia Tuipulotu, Abbie Fleming, Georgia Evans, Bethan Lewis, Alex Callender, Sioned Harries.
Replace: Carys Phillips, Cara Hope, Cerys Hale, Natalia John, Kate Williams, Bryonie King, Ffion Lewis, Robyn Wilkins.
England: Emma Sings; Jess Breach, Lagi Tuima, Tatyana Heard, Abby Dow; Holly Aitchison, Lucy Packer; Mackenzie Carson, Lark Davies, Sarah Bern, Zoe Aldcroft, Cath O’Donnell, Sadia Kabeya, Marlie Packer (captain), Alex Matthews.
Replace: May Campbell; Hannah Botterman, Maud Muir, Delaney Burns, Sarah Beckett, Ella Wyrwas, Sarah McKenna, Ellie Kildunne.
Where will Wales end up in the Women’s Six Nations? have your voice
Live updates below:
11:38Stefan Thomas
a look back and flashback to the past
Read all about the last time Female Wales beat England.
Read it here
11:11Stefan Thomas
Acid test
Welsh second-tier player Abbie Fleming believes this afternoon’s clash with England will allow Ioan Cunningham’s side to gauge how far they have come in recent months.
“It will be a very physical match, we have no illusions and we expect nothing more,” Fleming said. “There will be some big hits, some big games, some big games and as a vanguard we’ve prepared for that in the best way possible.
“I think this weekend we’ll be able to gauge a little more of the physical level against England. It’s been a long time since we last saw them. The impact that professionalism has had on us is that very big. I think playing with them will give us a good test of where we are.”
half past tenStefan Thomas
View from camp Wales
Wales head coach Ioan Cunningham:
“This is a Triple Crown at home in Cardiff in front of a sold-out crowd, so we can’t wait to see it.
“England are number one in the world, they won 32 games in a row before losing the World Cup final, they averaged 65 points a game and only conceded five and their domestic league is probably the best in the world. gender.
“You have to put all of that into perspective, but we’re also making great strides ourselves. We’re a different team than we were last year and I think we’ve moved forward.
“The confidence in the team is pretty good and there is faith and clarity about how we want to play. We’ve developed our game a little bit since the World Cup and now we’re in a place where we believe we can go out and do it.”
10:12Stefan Thomas
Welsh team
Wales head coach Ioan Cunningham made two changes to his XV starting XI with Lowri Norkett replacing Carys Williams-Morris on the wing and Hannah Bluck replacing Kerin Lake in midfield.
Lake has suffered a calf injury, but will be fine for the rest of the tournament.
Bryonie King, the unrecorded back rower, came on from the bench who split six second halves, and she looks set to become Wales’ second new captain in the 2023 tournament after winger Kate Williams, who was also named among the replacements.
10:07Stefan Thomas
Welcome
Join us for live updates on Women’s Wales’ big Six Nations clash with England at the sold-out Cardiff Arms Park.
This is an important day for women’s sport in Wales, as Ioan Cunningham’s team have the chance to show their true level against the world’s number one ranked team.
Wales have started the season like a house fire with impressive victories over Ireland and Scotland respectively. If they upset the odds today, the Triple Crown would be theirs, but in their way is an England team who are seen by many as on a different level from the others.
An exciting day awaits.
