Wales head into their remaining Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 sport chasing a victory they hope will kickstart Sean Lynn’s reign.
Defeats to Scotland and Canada imply Wales can not qualify for the quarter-finals no matter their end result in opposition to Fiji in Exeter. Nevertheless, Saturday’s sport at Sandy Park may have penalties far past this showpiece event.
Lynn, the vastly profitable former Gloucester-Hartpury coach, has tried to implement off-field change however has received solely one in every of his eight matches in cost on it.
Backs coach Shaun Connor admitted the opening weekend defeat to Scotland “derailed” Wales’ World Cup marketing campaign earlier than it had begun. And he didn’t draw back from the significance of Saturday’s Pool B finale in Exeter.
“It’s huge for us that we end on a optimistic,” Connor advised reporters on Friday. “We received’t come collectively for some time now and to go away struggling three defeats might be arduous for us to take.
“We have to get a end result actually to ship us into our coaching camps and subsequent yr’s Six Nations in a optimistic state of mind.
“We all know we’ll nonetheless have issues to work on however simply generally a W is all it must kickstart a little bit of confidence.”
Sandy Park is a stadium that holds happy memories for Lynn and five of members of Saturday’s matchday squad.
It was here that Gloucester-Hartpury clinched the second of their three successive PWR titles, coming from behind to beat Bristol 36-24 in June 2024.
“It’s a well-known floor for a lot of of our gamers and Sean,” Connor added.
“However Sean is all the time eager to emphasize that it’s 4 white traces. Irrespective of the place you play, it’s simple to say, but it surely’s typically the identical pitch, the identical 4 white traces.
“It ought to give us confidence that quite a lot of our ladies have performed right here and received right here. Hopefully that can come by tomorrow and we are able to get a end result.”
It’s not solely the Wales gamers who’re enjoying for delight, nonetheless. Fiji again Kolora Lomani outlined what the match means to her teammates.
“We’re enjoying for our nation, our village, our households which might be again at house and the ladies that weren’t in a position to be right here with us,” she stated.
“We all know now we have put in our greatest efforts within the final two video games, and coming into this final sport I feel we simply need to let all of it out and present what we are able to do as Fijiana.”
