By David Parsons
Alex Callender picked up her award as the Welsh Rugby Writers’ Association’s player of the year ahead of Wales’ departure for WXV2 last night to give Ioan Cunningham’s squad another boost ahead of their latest tournament.
Callender missed out on Friday’s historic first win over Australia at Rodney Parade as head coach Cunningham continued in his bold bid to grow the strength of his playing pool.
In Callender’s absence it was another back rower, Kate Williams, who stole the show.
With the scores tied at 24-24 and the clock going into the red, Williams crashed over from close range to score the try that won the day.
It was the seventh meeting between the two countries and they will have to do it all over again in Cape Town in their opening game in WXV2.
“I was really proud in the way we stayed in the fight. Australia scored some nice tries, but we never lost faith, stuck to our systems and had that calmness about us,” said Cunningham.
FT!
What drama! Wales win in the most dramatic of fashions!
Wales 31-24 Australia#BBCRugby pic.twitter.com/Qm1x8mP6Th
— BBC ScrumV (@BBCScrumV) September 20, 2024
“We showed a bit of maturity coming off the last Six Nations to get the win. A lot of the stuff we had been working on off line-outs worked for us and I thought we grew into the game, defensively.
“We’ve been working on building a bit of a red wall in training over the last few weeks. The second half was pleasing with some great defensive sets.
“And we showed good composure and patience in the second half when we got close to the try line.
“They are pleasing points to build on going into another game against them next weekend.”
The 31-24 triumph was just the tonic Wales needed after suffering a big defeat to Scotland in Edinburgh in their other warm-up match.
They were outscored by five tries to three by the Wallaroos, yet still found a way to win.
“It’s a great feeling to get the win and it helps us to build momentum. Beating Australia for the first time is something special to hold onto, but we’ve got to build on this as we go into a competition,” added Cunningham.
Wales head coach Ioan Cunningham and captain Keira Bevan reflect on their monumental first-ever victory over Australia #BBCRugby pic.twitter.com/U1UgGrbseE
— BBC ScrumV (@BBCScrumV) September 21, 2024
“When you go through your rugby career you have to celebrate achievements like this. I was really pleased with the resilience we showed – we stayed calm after they got back to 24-24, got a penalty, went for the corner and got the winning try.
“We’ve now got to rest some pretty bruised bodies, travel to South Africa, adjust to a new climate and get ready for another tough test on Saturday.
“We are growing our leadership group with Hannah Jones and Keira Bevan captaining the side, and we also have Alex Callender to come back into the side as well.
“Keira has been excellent. She has taken to the leadership role well and her performances have improved as well with the added responsibility.”
