Sean Lynn insists fierce competition for places is fuelling his Wales squad’s belief ahead of their Rugby World Cup opener against Scotland.
It’s a contest Wales co-captain Kate Williams admits is also about proving a point.
The clash at Manchester’s Salford Community Stadium on Saturday carries huge significance.
With world No.2 Canada and Fiji also in Pool A, both Celtic rivals know victory in their opening match could shape their entire campaign.
For Lynn, who took charge just before the Six Nations earlier this year, the biggest shift has come not in tactics or conditioning, but in the intensity within his own camp.
The former Gloucester coach believes internal competition has raised standards across the board.
“That’s where we’re at at the moment. It’s really nice, the competitiveness that we’ve got in the squad,” said Lynn.
“It got a little bit spicy in training and that’s how I think it should be.
“We’re in a World Cup and it’s the biggest World Cup, so it’s really exciting and the girls are just thriving on it.”
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That edge in training, players argue, has been key to transforming a side that not only suffered a winless Six Nations campaign earlier this year but also shipped a damaging 36-5 defeat to Australia on tour last month.
Back-rower Williams believes the intensity shift is clear for all to see.
“It’s not just two hand touch, we’re putting in shots, we’re doing full contact in those sessions, a full 15 on 15,” said Williams.
“It’s where we can really test our attack, test our defence and it’s where we’re drawing massive confidence from.
“What a privilege to be in a team where every single jersey has two or three potential people that Lynny has to pick from.”
That internal fight for selection, she argues, has been the foundation for a squad that looks very different from the one that crumbled in the Six Nations.
“Scotland will be a good Test for us, but we’re also bringing in so much confidence and belief from the team that we’ve become in this last year,” Williams explained.
“We want to be a hard team to beat, we want the opposition to think ‘we’ve got Wales next, that’s going to be a massive test for us’.
“We also want to play with passion, play with heart and play with confidence.”
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Wales’ rivalry with Scotland has become increasingly close.
Ioan Cunningham’s team managed a 34-22 win in Edinburgh in April 2023, but since then the Scots have edged the last three encounters by narrow margins — including a 24-21 thriller earlier this year.
Williams knows the recent record, but also stresses the context.
“I know that the recent results have proven that Scotland have had the upper hand over us, but if we take context into it, we only had two days with Lynny before we were playing in the Six Nations. I think we’re a different team now.
“I am really excited to see how we go. It’s exciting that we hit the ground running straight away in a World Cup. I think that’s really important to build momentum from the first game. We’re looking for a performance.”
Momentum has been a recurring theme for Lynn and his squad.
Their tour of Australia in July underlined the peaks and troughs of a side still evolving.
In Brisbane, Wales recorded a historic first win over the Wallaroos, battling torrential rain to grind out a famous 21-12 success.
Yet six days later they were dismantled 36-5 in Sydney.
For the coach, both results matter equally.
“That second Test, I said after it, we need to be learning. In training we are getting this learning in place.
“We’ve had a really good training week. The girls are positive, they’re buzzing for it, and just making sure we can get this performance.”
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Lynn’s backroom team has also been bolstered by former Wales men’s forward Ben Flower, whose influence in the collision area has been singled out as vital.
The head coach believes his players are fitter, sharper and more physically prepared than they were in the spring.
“We’re on the right track. I set targets after the Six Nations to the players. They went away and have come back in better shape.
“The big emphasis is making sure that we can play with the intensity that I want us to.
I’ve been driving scenarios into the girls.
"Hopefully there will be some scenarios on Saturday that we’ve done already and fingers crossed we will come out on top.”
Williams will again lead Wales alongside fellow back-rower Alex Callender, whose return from an ankle injury is a major boost.
Lynn was quick to underline her importance.
“Just everything about her on the pitch, off the pitch, the energy she just brings. I’ve seen her grow as a leader which is lovely to see.”
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