Bell confident Wales can get over the line against Italy
Freya Bell is confident Wales have the players at their disposal to finish the 2025 Six Nations Women's Summer Series off with a win when they take on Italy on Thursday.
The competition hosts bounced back from an opening day loss at the hands of Ireland with a standout 52-29 victory over Scotland on Friday evening.
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Savannah Picton-Powell's brilliant brace and tries from Mollie Wilkinson, Seren Singleton, skipper Branwen Metcalfe, Rosie Carr, Dali Hopkins and Evie Hill put the game beyond the reach of a spirited Scotland side.
'I was just really proud of how we went into the game [against Scotland],' she said.
'In the first game, we lacked intent and execution, and we had a lot of set pieces that we couldn't finish off.
'Whereas, in the second game, everyone chilled out, we started off strong and we did what we needed to do.
'In this next game against Italy, we want to put together a strong game for 80 minutes.
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'If we can start this game how we did the last, then we've got a good chance.'
Italy let slip a 15-0 half-time lead against England to lose 36-20, having also tasted a 45-6 defeat to France in the first round.
Despite the loss to England, the Azzurine showed signs of their physicality last Friday, with captain Elena Errichiello's try off the back of a maul, a demonstration of how dangerous Italy's forward pack can be.
And Bell said everyone in the Wales camp is wary of the threat they can pose.
'They've got some very big ball carriers,' she continued.
'We know that defensively we need to be connected and work well together.
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'If we have any gaps in our backline, then they'll be looking to break through.
'We need to stay alive and keep our eyes up. In the last game we dipped a bit, and if we do that again, Italy will take that as an advantage and try and get on top.'
Bell was also full of praise for teammate Picton-Powell's performance during the Scotland win.
The pair were the centre partnership for the Cardiff Metropolitan University side that won the Women's BUCS Super Rugby Milk Championship title in April.
'She's a very good rugby player and she's good at being in the right places,' added Bell.
'It's nice having Sav playing outside of me. We've played together a lot before, like at uni so it's a nice combination we have.
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'And if Sav has another confident game [against Italy], she'll get us over the line.'
Six Nations Women's Summer Series Round 3 fixtures on Thursday 17 July:
Scotland v Ireland – 13:00
Wales v Italy – 15:30
France v England – 18:00
Discover the future of international rugby at the 2025 Women's Summer Series – where rising stars shine. Follow the action live at U6N | SIX NATIONS - YouTube and on Instagram @u20sixnations.
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