After posting a record points haul against England in their previous outing, Wales traveled to Ireland hoping to build on recent improvements in the Women’s Six Nations. However, the tournament’s two-week break seemed to backfire, leaving the visitors uninspired in a 33-12 defeat.
Wales stayed competitive until halftime, much like in their earlier matches against Scotland and France, but Ireland’s third try proved decisive. The Welsh side should have gone into the break trailing 12-7, but a failure to clear the ball after the clock had expired handed Ireland one final scoring opportunity.
“We talk about championship moments, and that was one of them,” said Wales captain Bethan Lewis. “Putting ourselves on the back foot going into halftime is frustrating. We need to tighten up on things like that.”
Compared to their second-half fightback against England—where they scored two late tries for a bonus point—Wales produced little after the break in Belfast. Ireland dominated possession and territory, with last year’s player of the championship, Aoife Wafer, leading the charge.
The traveling fans’ only consolation came in the 78th minute with a try from Jasmine Joyce, but it wasn’t enough to prevent Wales from leaving empty-handed.
“We’re ranked 12th in the world, we played the team ranked 5th, and you can clearly see when you’re away from home, you’ve got to be a lot more clinical,” said Wales head coach Sean Lynn. “We said in the huddle at the end of the game, we’ve got to be better with our composure and accuracy. I wouldn’t say the girls dropped their heads. They stuck at it and stuck to their processes, but Ireland kept the ball really well. The girls give everything out there, and when you see them upset after the game, it’s because they care—they want to be winning, so it is tough.”
Wales now face a nine-match tournament losing streak, with one final chance next Sunday to avoid a third consecutive wooden spoon in the Six Nations. While a home game against Italy would seem a target for Lynn’s side, the Azzurri are brimming with confidence after backing up a convincing win over Scotland with five tries in their defeat to England.
“We will come out firing. We’re hurting. We do have more to give. There are a lot of learnings, and hopefully we can put on a good show next week,” said Lewis. “The first two games at home were incredible. The support was incredible, and having that red wall in the stands will give us energy.”
