Wales head coach Sean Lynn has praised his team's never-say-die spirit after they secured a bonus-point try in the dying seconds of their Women's Six Nations clash against England, despite a 62-24 defeat. Seren Lockwood crossed the line in the 80th minute to earn Wales a try bonus point, while the 24 points scored was the most Wales have ever managed against the Red Roses in 24 Six Nations meetings.
"Twelve months ago we would have flopped and fallen away, but to show that character to come back and score two tries and get a bonus point, I can't fault the character," Lynn said. "Obviously we're disappointed we leaked 62 points, but that's a very good Red Roses side who were clinical today."
Lynn noted that the performance was always going to be about what Wales could do, and he saw positives in their set-piece execution. Two well-rehearsed lineout moves caught England off guard, leading to first-half tries from Keira Bevan and Kelsey Jones. "We've got to be a little bit more clever now in those red zones, so it was lovely to see the first one come off and then the second. We've always got to be asking questions of the defence," Lynn added.
However, Wales' lack of clinical edge in promising positions remains a concern, with England capitalizing on counter-attacks. "We just didn't keep the ball and then they score from those opportunities when we're in really good areas, those were the big frustrations from us as a coaching team," Lynn admitted.
Wales' discipline improved, conceding only six penalties, but Kayleigh Powell's yellow card proved costly. They also missed 40 tackles, which England exploited ruthlessly, and their kicking game requires significant improvement.
England captain Meg Jones, who was born in Wales, acknowledged the physical battle: "They love coming to the breakdown, they hit really hard, that's something they'll always have. I said to the girls, there is going to be so much emotion out there, they are not going to lay over for us and their continuity in attack has definitely developed, including their set piece. It was definitely the Test match that we wanted."
England head coach John Mitchell also noted Wales' progress, saying "they're definitely more organised." Despite the heavy loss, Lynn's side showed resilience and a fighting spirit that bodes well for the future.