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BBC News
27-03-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
The humbling at St Helen's: 10 years since Wales last beat England
Women's Six Nations: Wales v EnglandVenue: Principality Stadium, Cardiff Date: Saturday, 29 March Kick-off: 16:45 GMTCoverage: Watch live on BBC One Wales, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport online and listen on BBC Radio Wales and BBC Radio Cymru It was one of the biggest upsets in Women's Six Nations were world champions, they boasted some of the best players on the planet, yet 10 years ago they were stunned in Swansea. Wales had only ever beaten the Red Roses once prior to their round one meeting of the 2015 championship, that was on their way to the Triple Crown in with some of England's World Cup winning stars retiring after their 2014 triumph and a dozen away on GB Sevens duty, the hosts took full led at half-time thanks to the boot of Laurie Harries before player-of-the match Catrin Edwards powered over for the opening saw several attempts at posts sail wide before Elinor Snowsill's perfectly weighted cross-field kick picked out Harries, who raced Taylor led Wales that day, while another Taylor, Tamara, had the honour of captaining England. BBC Sport brought the two rugby icons together to reminisce, with some memories fonder than others. How the teams lined up Wales: Dyddgu Hywel; Elen Evans, Adi Taviner, Gemma Rowland, Laurie Harries; Elinor Snowsill, Amy Day; Caryl Thomas, Carys Phillips, Catrin Edwards, Rebecca Rowe, Rachel Taylor (capt), Sian Williams, Sioned Harries, Shona Amy Lawrence, Jenny Davies, Amy Evans, Jenny Hawkins, Melissa Clay, Keira Bevan, Robyn Wilkins, Kerin Kay Wilson; Ruth Laybourn, Abigail Brown, Megan Goddard, Sydney Gregson; Ceri Large, La Toya Mason; Rochelle Clark, Emma Croker, Laura Keates, Tamara Taylor (capt), Rowena Burnfield, Hannah Field, Hannah Gallagher, Alexandra Victoria Fleetwood, Victoria Cornborough, Justine Lucas, Abbie Scott, Harriet Millar-Mills, Bianca Blackburn, Lauren Cattell, Katie Mason. 'Don't underestimate us' Rachel Taylor said their group of players, while young, had been together for a while and when they saw England's much-changed side, they sensed an opportunity."England and Wales' rivalry is massive at the best of times and there's always a little bit of added edge if you feel like a team changes its side to face you, and with that we were a bit more determined," she said. "We wanted to prove a point, like don't underestimate us and I think we managed to get that across."Tamara Taylor recalls the England upheaval both on and off the pitch after the World Cup."I think seven players retired and then everyone bar two of our backline went to sevens because it was qualification for the Olympics in 2016," she said."We were left with a very inexperienced backline to say the least and some new players that came into the pack. "I think at that point we had lost our head coach, the assistant coach was only hanging on for the Six Nations, our medics had all gone, basically the whole backroom staff, so it was a massive change coming into that Six Nations and I got the pleasure of captaining that exciting mess." 'Stressed, very stressed' The rival captains remember a beautiful sunny day and having to make the long walk through the cricket ground at St Helen's before taking to the pitch. "It just felt like it was a real opportunity for us to put a marker in the sand," said former Wales captain Taylor. "I just remember defending, our defence was probably the best it's been."Catrin Edwards was on fire that year and I just remember her barrelling people, Treacs [Jenny 'Treacle' Davies] was in the front row causing havoc and we just wouldn't go away, we just frustrated them."When it got to half-time we realised we were really getting under their skin, and that sort of lifts you."Former England captain Taylor remembers very little going right that day."I remember being stressed, very stressed most of the way through," she said."I think we missed a couple of penalty kicks, we had chosen to go for posts to settle things. "I remember feeling like our attack wasn't able to complete any sets. Wales defended really hard. I remember us getting into the 22 and then either losing the ball, making a mistake or something going wrong."I was thinking 'gosh, I'm not sure how we're actually going to score in this game, but it's ok'. You kind of think that right up until the end, but it never actually came." 'We knew we had done something big' While most would expect Wales' changing room to be bouncing after such a famous win, it was not the case."We were so tired because we had put such a massive defensive effort in, we were exhausted and sort of in a little bit of disbelief that we'd pulled it off," said Wales' Taylor."I think I said afterwards that it doesn't mean anything if we don't back this up. We beat Scotland and then we lost every game after that."But it's a really nice memory to have, the photos to look back on are really cool, because that squad was a really good bunch. You can see the passion and pure happiness on people's faces. "We knew we had done something big in that moment."For England's new caps, Tamara Taylor said it was a chastening introduction to Test rugby."They were excited but disappointed, it's their first cap – there were a whole load of emotions going around," she said."Being able to see the elation from the Welsh group, knowing it's only the second time that they had beaten us and thinking could we have done any more?"But as a rugby supporter and a coach I just think it must have been amazing to be in the Welsh changing room." Closing the gap on England Rivalries will be renewed again this Saturday as Wales prepare to host England having not tasted victory since that fateful day in Six Nations, the Red Roses ran in eight tries in a 46-10 demolition of their neighbours, but Wales are hoping with new head coach Sean Lynn at the helm, this year will be more competitive as they seek to bounce back from an opening defeat by Scotland."I think there were some real improvements [against Scotland] on the weekend, especially like energy, want and desire," said Rachel Taylor."The big part to move forward will be defence. The worry is that we let Scotland have quite a lot of carry metres and England are renowned for that. Unless we can nullify that we could be in for a long afternoon."If we start really well, like we did against Scotland, and get on the board nice and early, use the Principality Stadium and that energy to get under their skin a little bit, that will have to be the narrative that we try and take."Tamara Taylor said she hopes Wales and the other nations will eventually catch up with England after turning professional."I hope for women's rugby that the playing field will get levelled out," she said."There's a new coaching set up now with Wales. Sean Lynn has had very successful club campaigns so you hope he can take some of that magic into the Welsh group because there's a great group of players there."It's just probably about time together."And talking of time, Wales will be hoping they do not have to wait another 10 years to taste victory over the old enemy.
BBC News
27-03-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Kildunne starts as England make 13 changes for Wales
Women's Six Nations: Wales v EnglandVenue: Principality Stadium, Cardiff Date: Saturday, 29 March Kick-off: 16:45 GMTCoverage: Watch on BBC Two, iPlayer, BBC Sport website & app; listen on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra England head coach John Mitchell has made 13 changes to his starting XV to face Wales in Saturday's Women's Six Nations game at Principality player of the year Ellie Kildunne, who came off the bench in the Red Roses' opening-round victory over Italy in York, starts at full-back for her 50th 25-year-old is joined by Abby Dow and Jess Breach on the wings, with Mitchell reinstating a back three that scored a combined 18 tries in last year's Six Dow returns for the first time since breaking her hand earlier this Zoe Aldcroft, who starts at blindside flanker, and Exeter Chiefs number eight Maddie Feaunati are the two players to retain their places."Ellie [Kildunne] is who all young girls are looking up to at the moment as she is such an exciting player," England forwards coach Louis Deacon told BBC Sport."To achieve 50 caps for the Red Roses is an outstanding achievement but she has so many more games to come."Olympian Abi Burton, who nearly lost her life in 2022, is set to make her England debut from the 25-year-old back row spent 25 days in an induced coma after being diagnosed with autoimmune encephalitis, which occurs when the body's immune system mistakenly attacks the brain. Line-up England: Kildunne; Dow, Jones, Heard, Breach; Harrison, Hunt; Carson, Atkin-Davies, Bern, Talling, Ward, Aldcroft (capt), Kabeya, Cokayne, Botterman, Muir, Galligan, Burton, L Packer, Aitchison, Rowland. 'She wants it so bad' Trailfinders' Burton has impressed in Premiership Women's Rugby after appearing for Team GB's sevens team at the Tokyo and Paris Olympics."Abi [Burton] spoke to us a few weeks ago and I was blown away," Deacon added."I knew her story but not some of the details and I felt inspired. What she has been through is incredible. She is driven and knows what she wants."She wants it so bad, you can see it day in and day out, and she deserves her chance."Former England captain Marlie Packer is absent from the matchday squad after starting in York, as Loughborough Lightning flanker Sadia Kabeya comes into the starting who finished bottom of last year's competition, lost narrowly in Edinburgh against Scotland last weekend in what was Sean Lynn's first game in than 18,000 tickets have been sold for the England game, a record for a women's sports event in Wales."I think they're so important to grow the fanbase," Kabeya told BBC Sport on the fixture being played at Principality Stadium."When we play Allianz Stadium, the amount of fans that we get in, friends and family, people who haven't watched rugby before, people who've just seen it on the train, it's huge and for the girls to play in stadiums like this, it's what we need, it's what we want."Gloucester-Hartpury's Tatyana Heard and Megan Jones rekindle their centre partnership, which started four out of five games to help the Red Roses win their third successive Grand Slam last Natasha Hunt and Zoe Harrison form the half-back combination, with the Saracens fly-half the only change to the backline that defeated Wales 46-10 last year in are seeking a seventh Six Nations title in a row before a home Rugby World Cup that starts in August.
BBC News
26-03-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Wales' Evans free to face England after red card
Women's Six Nations: Wales v EnglandVenue: Principality Stadium, Cardiff Date: Saturday, 29 March Kick off: 16:45 GMTCoverage: BBC One, BBC Radio Wales, Radio Cymru, BBC Sounds, the BBC Sport website and app, plus live text commentary, followed by report and reaction on the BBC Sport website and app. Wales number eight Georgia Evans is free to face England in the Women's Six Nations in Cardiff on Saturday after being sent off for committing two sin-bin offences against Scotland last was first yellow carded in Wales' defeat in Edinburgh for collapsing a maul. Soon after returning to the field, Evans' high tackle led to a second yellow and with it a red card.A disciplinary panel deemed the red card "sufficient" punishment with "no further sanction" lost the encounter 24-21 with hosts Scotland also seeing a player sent off, Evie Gallagher receiving a one-game ban for an illegal challenge at a will miss Scotland's game against France on Saturday.
BBC News
14-03-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
No English allegiances for Wales coach Sherratt
Men's Six Nations: Wales v EnglandVenue: Principality Stadium, Cardiff Date: Saturday, 15 March Kick-off: 16:45 GMTCoverage: Watch on BBC One, BBC Sport website and app, plus S4C via iPlayer. Text commentary and highlights on BBC Sport website and app. Listen live on BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Cymru, BBC Radio 5 Live. Interim Wales head coach Matt Sherratt will find himself in an unusual situation this his final game in temporary charge, the English-born coach will be plotting the downfall of England when the two sides meet in the Six Nations finale in in Gloucester within a drop-kick of the famous Kingsholm ground, Sherratt grew up in a household that was fiercely divided on rugby days between an English father and his Tredegar-born mother."I used to have to sit between my mum and dad to split them up and then I'd switch sides depending on who won," Sherratt joked. "I probably went through the generations. In the 1970's I was probably wearing red a little bit more and then come the 1990's and early 2000's my dad's voice probably took over the house a little bit more."He's going to the game at the weekend and I've managed to change him I think [from England to Wales]. I don't know how long for, but definitely for this weekend." Foot in both camps? So will it be weird viewed as an Englishman coaching Wales this weekend?"I've worked in Wales for so long, and when you watch Wales when you're not coaching then you get attached to the players, so there's no question marks on allegiances," said Sherratt."I've got so much familiarity with a lot of the Welsh players - probably three-quarters of the squad I've coached before and have personal relationships with so I'm more interested in that than what country I was born in."Cardiff head coach Sherratt came in for a three-game period after head coach Warren Gatland had stepped down following the away loss in Rome, a 14th successive said before the Ireland game he was meant to be watching the game next door in the Arms Park clubhouse for his brother-in-law's 50th birthday. Family interest in tickets for this weekend's game has peaked even was emotional this week when asked about his final game in charge as he highlighted the role his family have played."The Cardiff boys will tell you, I have a wobble probably two or three times a season, as soon as it becomes about family it's pretty easy to go," said Sherratt."But I have loved it, I'm not going to hide away from it, it's something I'm proud of and enjoyed and so have the family."My son's main motivation is getting on the pitch afterwards. I had to knock on the door of the Scottish changing room so he could have photos with Finn Russell. "He enjoys that and he's pestering me about trying to meet Fin Smith and Marcus Smith this weekend. I think he's more interested in his Instagram account." Lifting spirits after tough times Sherratt has added positivity to the beleaguered Wales team with plenty of fun on show in the final training session before the England have still been two more defeats against Ireland and Scotland which has taken the losing sequence to 16. On Six Nations 'Super Saturday' Wales have traditionally been in the hunt for Six Nations titles or Grand Slams. Now they are hoping to avoid a second successive Wooden statistics are stark. Wales' most recent Test match victory came against World Cup pool opponents Georgia in October been beaten in all four games of this campaign, Wales are bidding to avoid a 17th successive Test defeat, which would be the most for a tier one nation in the professional hope to miss out on an 11th Six Nations consecutive loss with the previous win against Italy in March are bidding to avoid a clean sweep of defeats in successive tournaments for the first time in their myth Cardiff provides home comforts has also been dispelled. Wales have lost their previous eight home games after defeating England in August have also been defeated in the past eight Six Nations matches at the Principality Stadium since beating Scotland in February 2022. Easing the burden Before he agreed to taking on the role, former teacher Sherratt admitted he thought about the toll the losing sequence would be taking on young captains like Jac Morgan, Dafydd Jenkins and Dewi Lake."I remember watching the games more as a supporter and seeing Jac, Dewi and Daf in interviews afterwards," said Sherratt."As a coach and maybe an ex-teacher, I hoped it wasn't something they were taking home with them. "They should be at the stage of their career where they're just loving playing for Wales. "Those three lead by example and I know how much it means for them to play for Wales."My role coming in was to take some of the burden off them. So they could go out on the weekend and enjoy playing without too much of the history and media stuff." No permanent ambition Whatever happens in Cardiff this weekend, Sherratt says he will not throw his hat into the ring permanently. He always stated this three-match spell was temporary even if Wales beat England."I'm going to go back to Cardiff as head coach on Monday," said Sherratt."I've not changed on that. It's a big job and for three games it's been a massively enjoyable campaign. "My instinct is it needs someone fresh to come in and probably not where I am as a coach."I've been a head coach for 18 months, I wasn't forced into it, but the circumstances... it fitted really well at Cardiff. "I've always been self-aware in terms of where I am in my development and feel I need a bit more time in the saddle as a head coach at club level."England have the chance to lift the Six Nations trophy in Cardiff on Saturday night with Wales lock Dafydd Jenkins saying that scenario "cannot happen"."I've not thought of that, I would just like the team to do well for the team," said Sherratt."Everything I've tried to bring in has been about what's best for the team and for Wales. "I'd love the players to get some reward for a lot of the work they've put in over the last few weeks." Finishing with a win And finishing off with that elusive win? "It would be huge," said Sherratt."That's a massive motivation. I would love to sign off [with a win], not for me but for the players and staff who have been here for a long time. "It's important it's not something we talk about a huge amount about in camp or you can get a bit desperate. "Maybe the emotion takes over some technical or tactical aspects. There'll be emotion on Saturday and stacks of heart. It's getting that balance between heart and brain. "If that win comes, it would give everyone a massive lift, especially against England at home."But especially for certain sections of the Sherratt family.
BBC News
12-03-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Wales Under-20s make four changes for England finale
Under-20s Six Nations: Wales v EnglandVenue: Cardiff Arms Park Date: Friday, 14 March Kick-off: 19:30 GMTCoverage: Watch live on BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport online and S4C. Wales have made four changes for Friday's final Six Nations Under-20s fixture against England at Cardiff Arms Whiffin's side saw two red cards in a 27-12 loss to Scotland last week, forcing two scrum-half Sion Davies is set to make his first start of the campaign following Logan Franklin's red card, while Dan Gemine replaces suspended lock Tom fly-half Harri Ford also misses out due to an ankle injury and is replaced by Harri Wilde."Whether it is through injury or suspension the opportunities and chances opens up for someone else and we hope those guys grab it," Whiffin will be looking to deny England their first Grand Slam since 2021 after sweeping Italy aside 33-24 in round four."We're focussing on ourselves this week. England have performed very well during the tournament – they are current world champions as well, so it is going to be a hell of a game," said Whiffin. "It's a tough tournament, every game is tough, lots of tight turnarounds, lots of travel but for us to finish at home in front of a home crowd I think it would be a really nice send off for the boys."We had such a good performance last time out against Ireland at Rodney Parade and we are hoping for the same intent and endeavour against what will be a really good England team." Wales Under-20s: Tom Bowen; Harry Rees-Weldon, Osian Roberts, Steffan Emanuel, Adrian Boshoff, Harri Wilde, Sion Davies, Ioan Emanuel, Harry Thomas, Sam Scott, Kenzie Jenkins, Dan Gemine, Harry Beddall (capt), Evan MintoReplacements: Evan Wood, Louie Trevett, Owain James, Luke Evans, Caio James, Carwyn Edwards, Elis Price, Jack Wood
