Physicality the focus for Canada - Wales lock Crabb

Women's Rugby World Cup 2025: Canada v Wales

Venue: Salford Community Stadium Date: Saturday, 30 August Kick-off: 12:00 BST

Coverage: Live on BBC One, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport online, Radio Wales, Radio Cymru and BBC Sounds

Wales forward Gwen Crabb admits her side's physicality was "nowhere near where it needed to be" during their heavy defeat to Scotland in their opening Women's Rugby World Cup game.

The lock says that aspect of the game will be the big focus this week as Wales prepare to play Canada - a giant of the women's game - on Saturday, knowing they must win to keep their slim quarter-final hopes alive.

Wales head coach Sean Lynn promised some tough and honest conversations in Monday's debrief as he and his backroom staff picked apart their 38-8 stuffing in Salford.

Crabb said it had been a beneficial process.

"It has been really interesting to be able to reflect and to be able to open up as a group, I think you can really learn a lot from losing like that," she said.

Fronting up

Players were questioned on, "How did you feel our warm-up went? At what point during the game do you think we lost it? How can we use those learnings to make sure that doesn't happen again?"

Crabb said the common theme was Wales' lack of physicality, with Lynn saying post-match that they were "bullied off the park".

"I think if we can get that right, it really feeds into every other part of our game," Crabb said.

"We need to win that physicality battle, and then we can get out, go forward and we can play in our structure.

"We've done all the physical preparation, it's just how do we get ourselves in a place where we go and take a really physical team to dark places?"

'Nothing to lose'

Second row Gwen Crabb has started the last three games under Sean Lynn

Canada are tipped to challenge tournament hosts England for the title.

Wales have not beaten them since their 2006 triumph in Cardiff, with their last meeting a 42-22 defeat at WXV1 in New Zealand two years ago.

"They are a very physical team, they are second in the world, they are up there with some of the favourites to win this tournament," said Crabb.

"But for me personally and I think as a team, that makes us really excited, because, yes, we are the underdogs, but we have also got nothing to lose.

"We have got everything to gain because we are really disappointed in the way that we portrayed ourselves as a team at the weekend.

"We have not put all the hard work in that we have, and got to the place where we're at as a team, to not show that when it matters most on the pitch.

"We have to find a way to get to those quarter-finals and this weekend is going to play a huge role for that, so we've just got to go after it."

'Embrace' the moments

Gwen Crabb arrives at Wales' opening match in Salford

Despite the disappointment, Crabb said she tried her best to take in the atmosphere of the biggest Women's Rugby World Cup so far.

A crowd of 10,054 cheered on both sides at Salford Community Stadium, the highest number for a Wales v Scotland fixture.

"I think having had a few days to reflect, when we were running out for the anthems, I tried to just take it in and embrace it as much as I could," she said.

"That's a big thing that I'm trying to focus on now, as part of my game, is to take nothing for granted and to actually take the time to enjoy moments like that.

"I had goose bumps walking out onto the pitch. It was incredible, and you're looking around and the stadium is full.

"As women's rugby players, that's not something that we experience all too much, and hopefully I think we can see that that is something we are going to get to experience a lot more."