Wales they have everything you can get from this year’s WXV Global Series. After a false start in their Guinness Women’s Six Nations Going into the campaign, players, coaches and fans will be eagerly awaiting some positive results and a sign that the tide is turning.
It is likely to be a nervous campaign. Since taking up the role in 2025, head coach Sean Lynn has been adamant that “change is being made” in the Wales set-up.
But Lynn is fighting on two fronts. Not only are we trying to turn new young players into credible internationals, but also to find the rhythm that defines Wales’ style of play.
The question remains whether Lynn can repeat her three-peat winning form with Gloucester Hartpury in Premiership Women’s Rugby PWR with Wales. Of course they have Lleuca George, master as always behind the boot. Can Lynn find that winning formula with the players he has?
After the Guinness Women’s Six Nations, Lynn said: “It takes time but I understand the frustration from the outside. I get it. Gloucester Hartpury’s success has come from hard work. It didn’t just come from ‘Sean Lynn fitting in’ and those results came. It was two years of hard graft before that. I’m not going to put it on a timeline.”
Recent pattern
Their heaviest defeat came in their spirited 24-19 opener against Scotland, where Wales pressed the pitch in the final 10 minutes for the winning try.
Then they faced the titans: France on the warpath, gigantic Red Roses and a rising green wave from Ireland in Belfast. Until the moment they faced each other Italy the team was too spent to fight worthily.
The room for improvement can largely be focused on Wales’ second-half results. They could push their opponents until the end of the first half, but they struggled to remain clinical after the break and this is where many teams ran away with the game.
In a recent interview with BBC Sport Wales, strength and conditioning coach Gareth Harris stressed: “We’ve got good components and a lot of good elements and in the Six Nations we probably had that forty-minute performance, but actually going forward, we’re an 80-minute team.
“That’s what we’ve been looking for. We want to push the dial and we want to know that when we get to the game, we’re ready for the games. We’re not just waiting to get there.”
Their six tries in a 34-17 win over Barbaris in June hinted at a growing goal-scoring ability. Whether these opportunities will translate to the international stage is a key question that needs to be answered.
The biggest tests
Wales face two tough opponents for their home WXV Global Series games, South Africa on Friday September 19 and USA Women’s Eagles next Saturday, September 26, both at Cardiff Arms Park.
They will have to contend with a South African pack that has played with relentless confidence this summer. In their 12-55 thrashing Fiji in August, seven of nine tries were scored by forwards – four from the front row alone. But Mario Tshiremba’s debut hat-trick in the second 29-22 win in their second Test against Fiji is a testament to the finishing ability of the outside backs that cannot be overlooked.
Likewise, the USA team is in a similar place to Wales in terms of developing pathways and young talent. The USA appeared to shut down in the first of their two Tests against South Africa in July, suggesting that if you come out firing, their young team may not know how to recover.
Still, in the second Test, and after a major starting XV reshuffle, the USA showed the determination and poised degree of cohesion characteristic of top international teams, which was impressive. It will be interesting whether we see the former or the latter against Wales.
For the away part of the series, they play two Tests against Japan in Tokyo and Kumagaya. Sakura Fifteen achieved another convincing win at the Asian Rugby Championship, but did not play a more significant international match than the women’s Rugby World Cup last September, when they finished third in Group C with losses New Zealand and Ireland, but ended their tournament with a 29-21 win against Spain. This could be a triumphant tour for a triumphant Wales or a last-ditch effort to win in 2026.
Star Players
We hope to see Wales’ best ball carriers like Sisilia Tuipulotu up front or pace Courtney Keight who has returned to form. They will also be joined by Alex Callender, who missed the women’s Six Nations with an ankle injury but captained the Barbarians in the summer.
Kelsey Jones rarely gets her flowers but has been classy all season with Gloucester Harpturi and scored a try against Scotland, England and Italy in the Six Nations via a maul set piece that is becoming more reliable for Wales each game. It would be great to see her go up against her opposites like Micke Gunther or Lindelwa Gwala, especially in those accuracy battles.
Keira Bevan and Lleucu George are likely to continue their scrum and fly-half combination. They will bring the most experienced pair of their opponents. Bevan had a strong game against England, including his highest scoring try against the Red Roses to date.
Maisie Davies has had an impressive Women’s Six Nations campaign and it will be great to see how she fares opposite Springbok Women captain Babalwa Latsha.
Prediction
Although Wales have a big task ahead of them, they have nothing to lose and everything to gain from this WXV Global Series campaign.
They have every opportunity and it is feasible that they will earn four wins from four. Although the USA and South Africa have built impressively, Wales are still a step up for them at Test level. There is plenty of class in their line-up that competes in PWR and Celtic Challenge and with that comes the detail, patience and clarity of their playing.
Game management will be key. They need that 80-minute performance, and they need to fire from the first whistle. They can’t get on the back foot and consolidate in their previous come-from-behind situations.
The rewards to be gained from a good campaign and the promise of a bright future for Welsh rugby are huge and this WXV Global Series would be the perfect opportunity to give Welsh rugby hope and excitement. Everyone is rooting for them.
