Women's Six Nations 2021: Wales ready to roar after year of change
- Published
Former captain Rachel Taylor resigned as Wales skills coach last month with no reason given
Women's 2021 Six Nations Pool B: France v Wales |
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Venue: Stade de la Rabine Date: Saturday, 3 April Kick-off: 20:00 BST |
Coverage: Live on BBC iPlayer, BBC Radio Wales, BBC Sport website and app. |
As the dust settles on an incredible men's Six Nations, we prepare to raise the curtain on the women's showpiece.
It is going to look and feel a bit different this year, with the Covid pandemic delaying the start by two months and the tournament taking on a shortened format for 2021.
Wales begin their campaign against semi-professional France in Vannes.
It has been more than a year since they last pulled on the red jersey against England, so do not be surprised if Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau is belted out with extra gusto on Saturday.
Since that outing at Twickenham, Wales' players have not only had to endure three national lockdowns, they have also had to find the motivation to train alone in a cloud of uncertainty.
At the same time they have seen coaches come and go, a return for some of the old guard and the biggest event in their calendar put back a year.
Let us take a look back before a new chapter begins.
The coaches
There has been an uncertainty hanging over the coaching set-up since Rowland Phillips' sudden and still unexplained departure ahead of the 2019 autumn internationals.
The former Wales hooker had led Wales to qualification for this summer's postponed World Cup, but the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) said at the time he was "taking some time away".
Phillips' exit was eventually confirmed the following March, with coaching trio Gareth Wyatt, Chris Horsman and Geraint Lewis continuing to look after the team for the 2020 Six Nations, in which Wales failed to win a game.
They moved on in the summer, along with former Wales captain Ryan Jones as performance director.
Former dual-code international Rowland Phillips took charge of Wales Women in 2016
Some stability arrived in November when Warren Abrahams was appointed the new head coach. The former USA Women's assistant sevens coach made history in becoming the WRU's first black national coach.
Former skipper Rachel Taylor also hit the headlines as she became Wales' first professional national female coach, but she resigned without explanation last month, with Darren Edwards taking over her role in the short term.
At the time of her appointment, Taylor spoke about her "burning ambition to change things" and - much like the Rowland Phillips situation - we do not yet know what extinguished that flame.
Wales fly-half Elinor Snowsill said the news took her by surprise: "I was disappointed because I've grown up playing with Tayls.
"She was my captain and we all really look up to her, but it's something we're going to have to deal with.
"You're always going to have challenges as a squad. We've got a new psychologist who's been brilliant in terms of how to deal with challenges, so we're now fully focused on the Six Nations."
Ex-Ireland forward Sophie Spence remains with the side having been appointed Wales' World Cup coach intern in December, as does Geraint Lewis as the forwards coach.
Wales coach Warren Abrahams says new caps deserve a chance
The players
Siwan Lillicrap has given some colossal performances since taking over as captain in the autumn of 2019 and retains the armband under Abrahams, giving the team leadership and stability.
Carys Phillips, the former skipper and daughter of Rowland, was omitted from the 2020 Six Nations squad alongside another standout player in Sioned Harries.
The Worcester Warriors teammates, who had amassed over 100 caps between them, were told under the coaching trio of Wyatt, Horsman and Lewis that "the door is always open", but it remained shut under their watch.
Sioned Harries is hoping to add to her 58 caps for Wales
With a fresh pair of eyes, Abrahams included Phillips in his first training squad in recognition of her club form in the Premier 15s, but she misses out on the Six Nations through injury.
But there is still no sign of Harries, who at 31 believes she is still good enough to play for Wales.
Speaking on the Scrum V podcast, Harries said: "I've gone through many emotions with it.
"Frustration, anger, disappointment but by now I'm getting to the point where it's a matter of controlling the controllables.
"I didn't want it to become a focus of my season."
As well as Phillips' inclusion in the squad, Abrahams has also brought back some of the old guard in props Caryl Thomas (52 caps) and Shona Powell-Hughes (44 caps) who have not worn the jersey since the Rowland Phillips era.
Their return is complemented by the exciting young talents of Madi Johns, Beth Huntley and Sisilia Tuipulotu, who continue to learn their trade in the development squad.
World Cup blow
It was not a huge surprise that the pinnacle of the women's rugby calendar was postponed last month, but it was no less disappointing for the players who had been training tirelessly with that goal in mind.
The 2021 Rugby World Cup had been due to take place in New Zealand from 18 September to 16 October, but it has been moved to 2022 with a date yet to be confirmed.
World Rugby cited travel risks, uncertainty around teams' ability to prepare and challenges in completing qualification as reasons not to go ahead this year.
For some players it means pushing the goal posts even further and for Alecs Donovan that may have been a reason behind her decision to "close the chapter" on her international career.
Wales had been drawn in the same pool as defending champions New Zealand in the World Cup
She had been included in Abraham's squad earlier this year, but the 30-year-old admitted to struggling to balance her yoga business with the demands of training.
"The commitment we all show to play for our country is one people will never understand," she wrote on her Instagram account.
"I'm always in awe of the passion among the squad to play, that we are willing to give up promotions, potential families, friends, work, so much time and so much energy to play.
"A commitment that I didn't question until now."
The new-look Six Nations
The 2020 Six Nations was left incomplete as the country went into its first lockdown, with Wales' final game against Scotland among those falling victim.
So there was a great deal of excitement for this year's tournament, but that would have to be put on hold as organisers made the decision to push back the competition from February to April.
There were concerns over Covid testing, bubbles and travel, with England being the only fully professional side out of the six teams involved.
So the tournament not only gets a new start date, but also a new format which is set to be a "one-off" for this year.
It's very similar to the men's Autumn Nations Cup with there being two pools of three teams, with Wales being alongside France and Ireland in Pool B.
The final round of games on 24 April will pit teams against their equivalent in the other pool to decide final positions.
Wales centre Hannah Jones is disappointed there will not be a full Six Nations this year
The new format brings both positives and negatives.
For the first time the women are getting their own spotlight and will not have to compete with the men's tournament.
This is something Six Nations chief executive Ben Morel says may continue in the future.
It had its own launch this week and all games will be shown live across the BBC. Fans can even play Women's Six Nations Fantasy Rugby for the first time.
But with the new format comes fewer games.
Wales centre Hannah Jones says: "From a player's perspective it's disappointing that we haven't got the full tournament, but on the flip side we could say we're lucky to be playing in a Covid world."
Former Wales full-back Dyddgu Hywel was more critical.
She believes women's international rugby is being treated unequally, with the men able to play their autumn and Six Nations Tests as planned.
"They've got a normal Six Nations this year, which is also great news, but why is the women's game different or treated differently?" she said last month.
"We're still talking about equality in sports and it's 2021. We shouldn't be having this conversation and I truly understand the Covid situation.
"It's just a little bit disappointing."