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Wales alter four – all backs – for history-making game in Cardiff
By Liam Heagney
Ioan Cunningham has made four changes to bottom side Wales for this Saturday’s Guinness Six Nations finale at home to Italy at Principality Stadium.
The Welsh have lost all four matches so far in this year’s championship and they are set to finish last as they trail fifth-place Ireland by five points on the table and have an inferior points difference of 45.
Beaten last time out 0-40 by France last Sunday in Cardiff, they will look to avoid suffering a whitewash versus the Italians with a team containing four backline changes.
With full-back Kayleigh Powell having returned to Great Britain 7s duty with Jasmine Joyce, a sub against the French, Jenny Hesketh is back at No15.
Lisa Neumann is another recall, lining up on the right wing in place of Catherine Richards, Hannah Bluck is named in midfield with Carys Cox switching to left wing at the expense of Courtney Keight, while Keira Bevan, a sub last Sunday, swaps places with Sian Jones.
Ahead of the first-ever stand-alone women’s Test match, head coach Cunningham said in a WRU team media release: “Nobody needs to tell us how important this game is for us within the tournament, or for what follows, but our focus is totally on what we need to do as a team.
"The Welsh supporters have been a big part of our successes, and we look forward to them getting behind us again. Against France, we created pressure and opportunities, and we just need to be more clinical and finish off those opportunities.
"Hannah Bluck has trained well all through this campaign and deserves the opportunity to start against Italy and the experienced Lisa Neumann comes in on the wing.
"Our focus has been on what we need to do this week. We’re looking forward to the challenge and finishing the tournament on a high.”
WALES (v Italy, Saturday): 15. Jenny Hesketh; 14. Lisa Neumann, 13. Hannah Jones (captain), 12. Hannah Bluck, 11. Carys Cox; 10. Lleucu George, 9. Keira Bevan; 1. Gwenllian Pyrs, 2. Carys Phillips, 3. Sisilia Tuipulotu, 4. Natalia John, 5. Abbie Fleming, 6. Alisha Butchers, 7. Alex Callender (vice-captain), 8. Georgia Evans. Reps: 16. Kelsey Jones, 17. Abbey Constable, 18. Donna Rose, 19. Kate Williams, 20. Gwennan Hopkins, 21. Sian Jones, 22. Niamh Terry, 23. Nel Metcalfe
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Latest Comments
> It would be best described as an elegant solution to what was potentially going to be a significant problem for new All Blacks coach Scott Robertson. It is a problem the mad population of New Zealand will have to cope with more and more as All Blacks are able to continue their careers in NZ post RWCs. It will not be a problem for coaches, who are always going to start a campaign with the captain for the next WC in mind. > Cane, despite his warrior spirit, his undoubted commitment to every team he played for and unforgettable heroics against Ireland in last year’s World Cup quarter-final, was never unanimously admired or respected within New Zealand while he was in the role. Neither was McCaw, he was considered far too passive a captain and then out of form until his last world cup where everyone opinions changed, just like they would have if Cane had won the WC. > It was never easy to see where Cane, or even if, he would fit into Robertson’s squad given the new coach will want to be building a new-look team with 2027 in mind. > Cane will win his selections on merit and come the end of the year, he’ll sign off, he hopes, with 100 caps and maybe even, at last, universal public appreciation for what was a special career. No, he won’t. Those returning from Japan have already earned the right to retain their jersey, it’s in their contract. Cane would have been playing against England if he was ready, and found it very hard to keep his place. Perform, and they keep it however. Very easy to see where Cane could have fit, very hard to see how he could have accomplished it choosing this year as his sabbatical instead of 2025, and that’s how it played out (though I assume we now know what when NZR said they were allowing him to move his sabbatical forward and return to NZ next year, they had actually agreed to simply select him for the All Blacks from overseas, without any chance he was going to play in NZ again). With a mammoth season of 15 All Black games they might as well get some value out of his years contract, though even with him being of equal character to Richie, I don’t think they should guarantee him his 100 caps. That’s not what the All Blacks should be about. He absolutely has to play winning football.
Go to commentswhat’s happening to Ian Peel?
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