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2006-2007 RBS Women's Six Nations Review
Wales Women encountered two autumn international games in 2006 in preparation for their upcoming Six Nations tournament. Wales triumphed over both autumn opponents; Italy, in a forerunner to the Six Nations clash, and the Netherlands. The Italian match saw the introduction of a number of uncapped players including Vikki Gaylard, Gemma Hallett, Hannah Roberts and Caryl Thomas together with Hannah Torangi, a second row who had come through Wales Women’s U19 and the Women’s National Academy. Wales Women secured a five try victory in the muddy conditions at Glamorgan Wanderers RFC to ride out 31-7 victors. The second match saw Wales go unanswered against the Netherlands as they gained a superb 24-0 win. This victory was their seventh on the trot, the most successful winning run for the team in their history, and stood the team in good stead as they headed into the Six Nations tournament.

Following a successful autumn international campaign Wales Women’s squad for the 2007 Women’s Six Nations Championship was announced in mid-January. Mellissa Berry would once again act as Captain, her 55 caps at the age of just 25 exemplifying her vast experience on the international stage. Liza Burgess, at the age of 42 and in her twentieth season at the top level, made the squad as did Louise Rickard, who on 89 caps before the start of the championship would later achieve a representative accolade yet to be achieved by a Welsh male in the professional game. Head Coach Fielies Coetsee commented on the tournament, “It will be a very challenging Six Nations for us. It will require all of our players to be at the top of their game if we are to make an impact. We have had a good autumn international series, taking confidence from the victories, but will have to step it up again for these five matches.”

Wales Women's Captain Mel Berry poses with the RBS Women's Six Nations TrophyWales Women’s fixtures mirrored the senior men’s game for the 2007 tournament for the first time in history. Newcomers Italy joined the tournament taking the place of Spain who had figured in the last five tournaments enabling all opponents and fixtures to occur in tandem. RBS, title sponsor of the Six Nations also came on board as title sponsor for this, the Women's version of the RBS Six Nations competition. Consequently, Wales Women began their championship campaign with a home fixture against the Irish, mirroring the Millennium Stadium clash that awaited Gareth Jenkins's men. The previous championship had seen Wales secure a victory at Donnybrook against Ireland Women and as Wales Women hosted the Irish at their new official home of Taffs Well RFC, they would hope for a similar outcome.

It took just six minutes for the home side to gain the advantage after a break by Claire Flowers was continued across the Irish line by Naomi Thomas, who ran 50 metres to score at the posts. Thomas duly added the conversion to put Wales into a 7-0 lead. It took a further forty minutes before additional points were added to the scoreboard. Irish wing Lynne Cantwell was yellow carded for a technical offence in injury time; Thomas slotted the penalty between the uprights to take Wales ten points clear at half-time.

Wales had commanded most of the territory and possession in the first half but the second half saw an Irish resurgence. Ireland grew in stature as the game wore on and hit back strongly, with Irish Captain Sarah-Jane Belton always a threat with the ball in hand. Belton played a part in creating the Irish try on 73 minutes, claimed by Grave Davitt, as Ireland benefited from the numerical advantage of Louise Rickard's sin-binning. A few minutes after her return to the field, Rickard was shown another yellow card, resulting in a red card and her subsequent dismissal from the field. Despite the tense last five minutes of the game Wales secured the 10-5 victory to make it eight wins in a row on the international stage.

At a Six Nations disciplinary hearing following the game, Louise Rickard was found not to have committed the offence for which she received her first yellow card in the match against Ireland. The red card that was awarded was declared void and removed from her record.

A beating of Scotland Women ensured two on the bounce in the RBS Women's Six Nations for Wales Women in 2007With just one change to the team that overcame Ireland, Wales travelled to Dunbar RFC to take on the Scots in the second round of the Six Nations Championship with Kylie Wilson gaining a half century of caps. In 2006 Wales Women recorded their first victory in ten years over their Scottish counterparts so would be seeking a repeat performance this time around. Meanwhile, Scotland entered the game on the back of a first round sixty-point drubbing by England so would be eager to achieve their first win of the tournament.

In freezing February temperatures and gale force winds Naomi Thomas bagged all of the points in Wales’s second victory of the tournament. The first of her points came just before the half hour mark; having been camped in the Scottish 22, Thomas carved through the centre of the field to touch down under the posts. Her conversion pushed Wales into a 7-0 advantage.

After fifty minutes Thomas attained the final points of the game as she slotted over a penalty to take the Welsh ten points clear. Wales were unlucky not to be rewarded with a try later on as Rachel Poolman crossed the line but was denied the score due an earlier knock-on. The match finished with the 10-0 scoreline.

Assistant coach Jason Lewis commented on the success, “Our girls performed fantastically, especially in these conditions, which suited the Scottish style of play. The team showed massive commitment and dedication to the task and this kind of performance sets us up well for our trip to France.”

The trip to France came two weeks later, following a rest weekend, as Wales Women took on their toughest challenge of the tournament at the Stade Guy Moquet à Drancy. Wales were bolstered by the recovery of Non Evans who returned to the Welsh bench. Evans suffered multiple breaks, a dislocation and ligament damage to her right leg during the French game in the 2006 Six Nations championship. Medics thought the seriousness of the injury would end her playing career but in less than 12 months the utility back returned for the crucial 2007 championship fixture.

Non Evans marked her return to International Rugby against France Women, whom she broke her leg against in 2006In 2006 France Women tasted defeat at the hands of Wales Women for the first time at Pontypridd RFC. Looking to avenge this defeat on home soil France ended Wales’s winning streak and kept their own Grand Slam aspirations alive in a 15-0 win in Paris.

Wales conceded a try after just five minutes as they began the game a little nervously. However, once the Welsh pack got into their stride the team battled their way back into the game and went into the interval trailing by just five points from the early try, very much on a par with France. Having played with the strong wind in their favour during the first forty minutes, Wales Women had to battle against it during the latter forty. French Captain Estelle Sartini was able to take advantage of the wind in the second half as she secured a penalty after sixty minutes and then converted the second try from French centre Dalila Boukerma. Boukerma had barged through the Welsh defence to gain her first try earlier in the second half and crossed the Welsh line again to seal the victory five minutes from time.

Despite incurring their first defeat in the Women's Six Nations Championship, the Triple Crown still beckoned for Wales Women as they were to take on World Cup finalists England in the final match of the tournament.

Wales Women enjoyed a rest weekend after their defeat to France before they travelled to Rome for their fourth round fixture with Italy. Wales Women’s Head Coach Fielies Coetsee commented on his side’s challengers, “Italy will be much stronger at home than they were in the autumn international. They have shown with their performances that they are a better side now and we will have to be focused and ready for a battle if we want to get a result.”

This having been said, Wales inflicted another defeat on the winless Italians. The Welsh put another 24 point win past the Azzurri to add to the 31-7 win in November, just three months previously. The game also marked an historic occasion as Louise Rickard overtook Gareth Llewellyn to become the most capped player in Welsh rugby history with 93 caps to her name.

The first half of the game proved to be quite even as the Six Nations debutants played ferociously. The few points of the first forty minutes came courtesy of Naomi Thomas’s try and the conversion from Non Evans, who made a return to the Welsh starting line-up. The second half witnessed the Welsh impress their dominance on the Italians as the Welsh pack began to make inroads into the home forwards.

Following a great break from try-scorer Thomas nine minutes after the resumption, outside half Rachel Poolman sent the impressive Non Evans racing to the corner for a try, which she converted magnificently from the touchline. Evans gained her second try fourteen minutes later after the Welsh forwards had stormed up field, with Poolman again providing the supporting link play. Having endured five operations to get back to full fitness in just twelve months, this fourteen-point haul for Clifton star Evans proved fantastic.

The tiring Italians became increasingly desperate in their attempts to stop the Welsh attacks which told as flanker Celeste Cristofanello was sin-binned on 65 minutes. Wales failed to take advantage of the numerical benefit of an extra woman, but Captain Berry rounded off Wales’s scoring with the fourth try in the closing minutes following a brilliant run by the record-breaking Rickard.

Having made it three wins from four in the Six Nations thus far with the victory in Rome, Wales entered their clash with England Women with hopes of clinching a first win over their old rivals. This Triple Crown decider would mark the twentieth anniversary of Wales Women’s first international match. Wales’s inaugural international fixture was against England at Pontypool Park on April 5th 1987; England won that fixture and had remained unbeaten in every meeting between the two.

Wales Women entered the match at Taffs Well RFC as the underdogs. England had only conceded a remarkable twelve points throughout the 2007 Six Nations tournament and were seeking a Grand Slam. Despite this, Wales Women started the more dominant side on home soil but mounting England pressure soon equated to a score. After fifteen minutes Danielle Waterman completed a well-worked back line move to touch down in the corner. Non Evans missed the chance to reduce the deficit soon after as her penalty attempt drifted wide but England’s Karen Andrew made no mistake with the boot as she extended the visitors’ lead following Welsh players killing the ball. Welsh frustration, and the England scoreline, was furthered before the break as Cardiff Quins wing Amber Penrith crossed for England's second try to give the title-chasers a commanding 13-0 half-time lead.

Wales Women headed into the match against England Women looking for a Triple CrownThe second half failed to produce any Welsh points as England again went unanswered. Andrew added another penalty nine minutes after the interval to increase the scores to 16-0. Liza Burgess, making history in this match as she appeared in both the first and the twentieth meeting of the nations, added to the England advantage as she was sin-binned for holding on after 66 minutes. Taking full advantage of the numerical discrepancy, Waterman went over for her second try of the afternoon with Andrew slotting over the conversion. To complete her personal haul Andrew crossed the Welsh line on eighty minutes and converted her own effort to take her tally to fifteen points. With the scores closing at 30-0 the previous year's Women's World Cup runners-up had gained an impressive Six Nations Grand Slam and maintained their unbeaten record against Wales.

Wales had gained three superb wins out of five matches played in the 2007 Women’s Six Nations, which resulted in a third place position in the Six Nations table. A night of celebration was held a day after the conclusive match of the championship to mark twenty years of Welsh Women’s international rugby reuniting players from both sides from the original clash. Following the close of the tournament Kylie Wilson and Liza Burgess announced their retirement from the international stage.

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