Latest news with #2025Women'sSummerSeries
South Wales Argus
10 hours ago
- Sport
- South Wales Argus
Moioli takes lots of positives from France U20 Summer Series loss
Italy defended stoically for much of the game but ultimately couldn't stop France running in eight tries - with Elina Folituu helping herself to a hat-trick in the process – to claim the spoils at the Centre for Sporting Excellence in Ystrad Mynach, Caerphilly. In the few trips to the French 22 that Italy had, they were able to register a try of their own through prop Alice Antonazzo in the second half and Moioli hopes her side can build on the performance they put in after the break. La prima meta Azzurra 🇮🇹 Alice Antonazzo va a segno da distanza ravvicinata 💥#U6NSummerSeries @SixNationsU20 — Guinness Sei Nazioni (@SeiNazioniRugby) July 5, 2025 'I can tell you the second half was a lot better than the first half,' she said. 'Our captain [Elena Errichiello] said that to us. She said that we knew it was going to be a hard game. We were quite happy with what we did, but we know now what to work on and how to prepare for the next game against England.' France imposed themselves from the off and despite the best efforts of Italy's defence, they benefitted time and again from their physicality, as well as their skill, with Folituu's treble – all scored off the back of rolling mauls – highlighting that fact. Moioli explained her side expected France to take the game to them and was proud of their rearguard effort throughout the 80 minutes. 'We were mentally prepared, we knew there would be a lot of defence going on,' she continued. 'There was good defence from our centres and our forwards were really going hard. I'm really proud of what we did. 'It was a big mindset game in the second half, and we were really tired because France is a big opponent. 'We tried to keep our defence up the best that we could, whilst also staying fierce and trying to push through.' And despite the one-sided nature of the result, Moioli was pleased with the togetherness her team demonstrated and the fact they kept fighting until the end. Shed added: 'We were very united, even after the French scored, we were always all together and trying to keep each other focussed and we pushed through together as a team.' 'I think we can play very well against England, and we can take all the positive things that we did against France and make more of them in the next game. I hope for better next time.' Discover the future of international rugby at the 2025 Women's Summer Series – where rising stars shine. Follow the action live at and on Instagram @u20sixnations.
South Wales Guardian
a day ago
- Sport
- South Wales Guardian
Hyett delighted by resilient England in Six Nations Summer Series
Tries from Player of the Match Joia Bennett, Grace Clifford, Lucy Simpson, Amelia MacDougall and Molly Luthayi were enough to seal the win at the Centre for Sporting Excellence in Ystrad Mynach, Caerphilly. But England were pushed all the way by Scotland, who battled hard for 80 minutes and continually refused to let their opponents get away from them in the scoring, as Holly McIntyre, Emily Norval and Poppy Mellanby all crossed over. And while the final scoreline looks like it was a comfortable win for England, Hyett explained there were plenty of times when her side had to dig deep to hold Scotland at bay. 'I'm really pleased with the girls and the result,' said the 20-year-old. 'We definitely had to fight for it. There were moments in the game where we weren't where we wanted to be, but I think the fight and the desire that we all have, one to 23 right through the squad, is what got us over the line in the end.' Hyett, who tasted PWR [Premiership Women's Rugby] glory with Gloucester Hartpury earlier this year, also said how England's gameplan was always to take the game to Scotland and was delighted by the way the backs and forwards combined. 'We spoke all week about being direct, playing with intent and beating the other team physicality wise, and I think when we did that. 'We earned the right to go wide, and we scored a lot of tries out there. That just proved that when the forwards do a great job, our backs can then reward our forwards.' 😎 A recap of the results from yesterday's opening games in the #U6NSummerSeries Next up for England is a clash against Italy, who fell 46-5 to France in their opening game of the tournament, but Hyett is not underestimating the challenge they'll pose on July 11. 'Italy is a new game on a new day,' she added. 'This game is done and over with and it's on to the next job. 'Italy will be a tough challenge, definitely. '[Against France], they showed that they can be very physical, but also, they are very quick, and they have a lot of threats around the park. 'For us, it'll be how we manage that whilst also focussing on ourselves.' Discover the future of international rugby at the 2025 Women's Summer Series – where rising stars shine. Follow the action live at and on Instagram @u20sixnations.
South Wales Argus
a day ago
- Sport
- South Wales Argus
Borak: France won't rest on laurels after victory in U20 Summer Series
An Elina Folituu hattrick propelled Les Bleuettes to a dominant win in their 2025 Six Nations Women's Summer Series opener at the Centre for Sporting Excellence in Ystrad Mynach, Caerphilly. Emy Baudru, Zoe Jean, Tifen Lesieu, co-captain Anna Macipe and Cherrezade Saiki also crossed for France, and while Borak had nothing but admiration for her team's efforts, the prop explained her team has the potential to be even better during their second game on July 11. 'It was a really good game for us,' said the 21-year-old. 'But we will now go away and work on a few things since we have just under a week to work on the game for Ireland. 'We will rewatch the videos again to see what we have to work on, including the small details. 'We are excited for the game coming up next, especially since it's a big game against Ireland and hopefully we'll do better.' 😎 A recap of the results from yesterday's opening games in the #U6NSummerSeries — Six Nations Under-20s (@SixNationsU20) July 6, 2025 France started the game the stronger of the two sides and spent much of the first half camped inside the Italian 22 as they looked to assert their physical dominance. Despite the best efforts of Italy's defence, France benefitted time and again from their physicality, as well as their skill, with Folituu's treble – all scored off the back of rolling mauls – highlighting that fact. And Borak revealed taking the game to Italy early was always in the minds of her and her teammates and also praised the performances of some of the more junior members of the squad. 'It was always part of the game plan, and we just wanted to get the head start first,' she said. 'We were happy that the girls showed up, especially in the second half as well. 'I'm proud of the girls, especially since it's the first selection for some of them. 'Everything was positive and we're really happy for the win. 'We still have a lot to work on, and I still have a lot to work on personally. 'But it's the first game and we made it pretty good out there, and now we're just waiting for the next game and hopefully we'll do better in that next week.' Ireland head into the clash with France also having won their opening game of the competition, downing Wales 27-10 in a hard-fought encounter. Discover the future of international rugby at the 2025 Women's Summer Series – where rising stars shine. Follow the action live at and on Instagram @u20sixnations.
South Wales Argus
a day ago
- Sport
- South Wales Argus
Metcalfe: Wales will respond after defeat in U20 Summer Series
The hosts showed determination throughout the physical encounter, reducing Ireland's advantage to 10-5 and 15-10 during the match through scores from Savannah Picton-Powell and Seren Singleton. But tries from Irish quintet Sophie Barrett, Robyn O'Connor, Hannah Clarke, Jemima Adams-Verling and Ellie O'Sullivan-Sexton ultimately put the game out Wales's reach at the Centre for Sporting Excellence in Ystrad Mynach, Caerphilly. However, Metcalfe insisted her charges won't dwell too much on the defeat and that they will work hard to improve before they next take to the field. 'We're Welsh, we'll be sure to keep going,' said the 18-year-old. 'I'm really proud of the girls for what they did today. 'We left everything out on the field, and I can't doubt anyone's intent. We are a really young side, so there's a few things we need to freshen up on, but I'm really proud of our efforts.' 😎 A recap of the results from yesterday's opening games in the #U6NSummerSeries — Six Nations Under-20s (@SixNationsU20) July 6, 2025 Both sides matched each other's intensity in the tackle during the opening exchanges, but Ireland were able to withstand Wales' early pressure as the game remained scoreless after 20 minutes. Barrett and O'Connor gave Ireland a 10-0 lead midway through the first half, but Wales regrouped well, halving the deficit on the half-hour mark when Chiara Pearce, fresh off the bench, offloaded to the charging Picton-Powell to dot down. Clarke finished a cross-field Irish move seven minutes into the second 40 minutes, but Wales refused to give up the ghost, hitting back five minutes later as Singleton crashed over in the corner following good work to get the ball out wide on the right to reduce the gap back to five points. Metcalfe explained it was passages of play such as the one Singleton scored from that Wales can take as one of the positive from the clash. 'I think the way we move the ball [was pleasing],' she continued. 'Our intent too and the way we were running on the ball, we're working really hard, but it's just about the little bits to finish things off now. We can definitely do it.' Amidst the driving rain, Adams-Verling, named Player of the Match, re-established Ireland's two-score buffer on 58 minutes before O'Sullivan-Sexton's late effort rounded off the scoring. Wales will be back in action on 11 July when they take on Scotland in the second match of the competition. Discover the future of international rugby at the 2025 Women's Summer Series – where rising stars shine. Follow the action live at and on Instagram @u20sixnations.
South Wales Argus
a day ago
- Sport
- South Wales Argus
Hyett delighted by resilient England in Six Nations Summer Series
Tries from Player of the Match Joia Bennett, Grace Clifford, Lucy Simpson, Amelia MacDougall and Molly Luthayi were enough to seal the win at the Centre for Sporting Excellence in Ystrad Mynach, Caerphilly. But England were pushed all the way by Scotland, who battled hard for 80 minutes and continually refused to let their opponents get away from them in the scoring, as Holly McIntyre, Emily Norval and Poppy Mellanby all crossed over. And while the final scoreline looks like it was a comfortable win for England, Hyett explained there were plenty of times when her side had to dig deep to hold Scotland at bay. 'I'm really pleased with the girls and the result,' said the 20-year-old. 'We definitely had to fight for it. There were moments in the game where we weren't where we wanted to be, but I think the fight and the desire that we all have, one to 23 right through the squad, is what got us over the line in the end.' Hyett, who tasted PWR [Premiership Women's Rugby] glory with Gloucester Hartpury earlier this year, also said how England's gameplan was always to take the game to Scotland and was delighted by the way the backs and forwards combined. 'We spoke all week about being direct, playing with intent and beating the other team physicality wise, and I think when we did that. 'We earned the right to go wide, and we scored a lot of tries out there. That just proved that when the forwards do a great job, our backs can then reward our forwards.' 😎 A recap of the results from yesterday's opening games in the #U6NSummerSeries — Six Nations Under-20s (@SixNationsU20) July 6, 2025 Next up for England is a clash against Italy, who fell 46-5 to France in their opening game of the tournament, but Hyett is not underestimating the challenge they'll pose on July 11. 'Italy is a new game on a new day,' she added. 'This game is done and over with and it's on to the next job. 'Italy will be a tough challenge, definitely. '[Against France], they showed that they can be very physical, but also, they are very quick, and they have a lot of threats around the park. 'For us, it'll be how we manage that whilst also focussing on ourselves.' Discover the future of international rugby at the 2025 Women's Summer Series – where rising stars shine. Follow the action live at and on Instagram @u20sixnations.
