Sean Lynn’s Wales Women’s side returned from Australia over the weekend and will be straight back into work on Friday to prepare for their World Cup opener against Scotland on 23 August.
A first win over the Wallaroos in Australia provided by the players and their new head coach with a first win of the year and something to build on heading into a global tournament that sees them face the Scots, Canada and Fiji in Pool B.
Getting out of their pool and into the knock-out phase is the first priority and Lynn is scheduled to name his 32-players squad next week. What the summer training camp, and the two Test trip down under, has done is provide him with a fitter, stronger squad that now boasts even greater depth than when he arrived.
Last weekend’s 36-5 defeat at a rain-soaked North Sydney Oval may have been a disappointment after the heroics in Brisbane a week earlier when they triumphed 21-12 but the squad have returned in a much better place than when they left.
Having gone through a Six Nations campaign without a win was tough, particularly with a newly installed head coach, but the new style that Lynn wants to play is definitely emerging and his call for his players to ‘work harder’ has obviously struck a chord.
"The way we have connected as a group, players and staff, on this tour has been so beneficial, I'm taking this trip as a really big positive for us," said Lynn.
"I've learned a lot. Now myself and the coaching team will go away and have a think about what works well for us, what combinations are working and certain individuals have definitely been putting their hands up for selection for the World Cup.
"I said to the girls at the end of the game in Sydney that it had been another pre-season game for us as we build towards the World Cup. We had enjoyed the win the previous week and I thought Australia's reaction to it was great.
"They turned their pressure into points, which is something we didn't do well enough when we had opportunities in the first 15-20 minutes.
"They won the physical battle, they won the territorial battle, but also they turned pressure into points. We need to learn to be ruthless in that way.
"We wanted all 30 players who came out here to get playing minutes because the two games were all about trying to find combinations and what works for us in different games. It has all been about building for the World Cup.
"We did a review on Sunday, put Australia to bed in Australia and we’ll be back in camp this week."
One of the biggest problems to be solved prior to the clash with Scotland in Salford in less than three weeks time will be getting co-captain Alex Callender fully fit after she limped out of the game in Sydney after a mere three minutes.
She travelled home with her foot in a boot and will undergo scans on her injury this week to fully assess the damage. Her loss would be huge, although Lynn does have an embarrassment of riches in his back row department with his other co-captain, Kate Williams, Georgia Evans, Beth Lewis and Bryonie King to turn to.
Lynn was able to cap a number of younger players in the two games – scrum half Seren Singleton, prop Katherine Baverstock and lock Tily Vicaj – and has seen other youngsters like Alaw Pyrs, Maise Davies, Molly Reardon and Nel Metcalfe really step up in a bid to challenge some of the more established players.
Hooker Kelsey Jones and wing Jasmine Joyce-Butchers both won their 50th caps on tour, while scrum half Keira Bevan reached 75. Now there is a greater blend of youth and experience.
READ MORE: Sean Lynn Tells Wales He’s So Proud Of First Win . . . But Demands It’s Now Backed Up
Triple Olympian Joyce-Butchers marked her half-century of caps in Sydney with a try and believes she is rounding into the shape of her life as the World Cup approaches.
"Not just because we won, but the whole atmosphere, made the weekend in Brisbane one of the best I've ever felt in a Welsh jersey," said Joyce-Butchers.
"Lynny and the coaching staff have been outstanding and the girls have been brilliant. It's definitely a place now where I can be my true self and express who I am.
"Yes we hurt, and yes we're gutted when we lose, but it's still a happy place to be. We've just got to remember that we’re in such a better place than we were last year."
READ MORE: Wales Coach Sean Lynn Sets Standard Ahead of Sydney Showdown And Tells Players: “Back It Up!”
