Welsh Feathers 48-59 Uganda: Visitors claim win and 2-1 series victory

Goal attack Phillipa Yarranton scored a series of goals in the second quarter to bring Wales back into the match

Welsh Feathers lost 59-48 to Uganda in a highly physical contest as the She Cranes took the three-match series in Cardiff 2-1.

The hosts won the opening match 57-45, but were beaten 64-40 on Friday.

Uganda were 17-12 ahead at the end of the first quarter in Saturday's decider.

Feathers led early in the third quarter, but Uganda recovered to lead 44-38 going into the final period and went on to seal the success.

The opening match was Wales' first win over the She Cranes since 2015 with Uganda beating the Feathers at last year's World Cup - a tournament in which they finished fifth, while their opponents were ninth.

The physicality of the third Test also matched that of the first.

Wales made a change at the start of the second quarter with Ellen Morgan coming on for her debut at centre with Shona O'Dwyer moving to wing attack as co-captain Bethan Dyke left the fray.

Despite the reshuffle, Wales upped the intensity, finishing the half just a point behind the She Cranes as player-of-the-match Georgia Rowe scored a series of goals.

Wales were much improved on both sides of the ball from Friday's game, though they would rue the fact they were unable to take full advantage of turnovers in the final third, which often resulted in turnovers of their own.

In the final quarter, Uganda continued their momentum to see off the hosts.

Uganda - who finished fifth in the recent World Cup - are preparing to face Australia, England and New Zealand in the upcoming Nations Cup.

Wales' players will now focus on league and domestic action.

Wales co-captain Nia Jones: "I felt we let it slip in critical moments, there's certain moments where you need to score off your possession and when you don't it lets them off the hook.

"It could have have stayed even closer towards the end and we could have built off that momentum we worked really hard to get going into half time.

"The break probably came at the wrong time for us and Uganda were grateful for it, but we'll learn from those moments and one thing we've got from this series is belief that when we're in the moment we can take them."

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