New Wales boss Sean Lynn excited to wake ‘sleeping beast’

Incoming Wales head coach Sean Lynn described the team as a “little bit of a sleeping beast” as he looked ahead to his new role in international rugby.

Gloucester-Hartpury boss Lynn has spent the last three Wednesdays in camp with Wales, getting to know the set-up – or “family” as he describes it – ahead of starting the job proper at the end of the Premiership Women’s Rugby (PWR) season next month.

The Welshman will hope to begin the Women’s Six Nations as a three-time PWR champion and does not see any reason why that success cannot continue in the Test arena.

Wales finished bottom of last year’s Six Nations standings but played in WXV 1 only 15 months ago and, as Lynn noted, the wider squad currently contains more than 20 representatives across the four PWR semi-finalists.

Asked if that was a stat he would be pressing home between now and the start of the championship, Lynn said: "I've been on calls with the girls on a Wednesday for the last three weeks, and they know that I am super excited in the talent we've got.

“I'm sending them highlights about how proud I am of the family and just some highlights of what we're doing.

"Look, I think we're a little bit of a sleeping beast and I'm really excited about taking on board and getting stuck into the Six Nations, travelling [to] Australia, really spending some good time with the family and then building into that World Cup."

Wales will kick-off their Six Nations campaign with a trip to Scotland on March 22, but Lynn has plenty of work to do at Gloucester-Hartpury before then.

The Circus welcome Harlequins to Kingsholm in the final round of the PWR regular season on Friday night. Guaranteed top spot and a home semi-final, Lynn and his players could be three matches from a third successive title and a place in history.

Whatever happens between now and the PWR final on March 16, though, Lynn knows he has less than four weeks left at a club he has served for 24 years.

“I'm an emotional guy, so I'm pretty sure there will be some [emotion] coming to the end of it,” he said.

“However, fingers crossed, I can finish this chapter on a massive high and then I'm really excited to start a new beginning with something I take super pride in being a proud Welshman.”