Wales v Ireland: Welsh captain urges home crowd to get behind team in their Six Nations opener

Wales got to the Quarter-finals of the 2021 Women World Cup and came third in last year's Six Nations. Credit: PA

As Wales women prepare to face Ireland in their first game of the 2023 Six Nations, they will be hoping to build on their recent successes.

Last year's campaign was one to remember as they took third spot, their best in 13 years.

Now, with 25 players on full-time professional contracts, Head Coach Ioan Cunningham is hoping they can use this tournament to "inspire the next generation of players."

Wales Women preparing to face Ireland this Saturday. Credit: ITV News

Cunningham has made some changes to his squad face Ireland in Cardiff. Hannah Jones and Kerin Lake will start as centre's while Elinor Snowsill and Keira Bevan will line up in the half-back pivot.

New Zealand Navy officer Kate Williams could make her Wales debut on Saturday. Swansea-born Williams is named among the replacements, after moving back to Wales after the World Cup in November.

The Wales boss admitted that there were a lot of tough decisions to make.

Cunningham said: "There were some tough calls around this selection.. The squad have worked really hard and we have prepared really well."

Wales captain Hannah Jones leads the side Credit: PA

Cymru's Head coach has good reason for optimism. In stark contrast to the men's team, the women's squad have had an impressive year on and off the pitch.

Encouraged by a quarter-final appearance at the 2021 World Cup, in November 2021, the WRU announced 12 full-time professional contracts for players for the first time ever.

It was a landmark moment that reaped rewards on the field. Cymru placed third in last year's Six Nations, behind England and France, two teams that had been fully professional for more than two years.

It was their best ever performance at a Six Nations and after the amount of professional contracts were doubled last month, players and coaches are hoping Wales can close the gap on their rivals.

Ireland will come with their own momentum. Coming off the back of the Grand Slam feat just achieved by their men's side and after claiming wins over Scotland and Italy in 2022, the women will be looking to cause an upset this year.

But Wales Captain Hannah Jones hopes home advantage will give them the edge for their 2:15pm kick off on Saturday afternoon.

She said: "It makes a real difference when we see so many supporters come out to watch us and back us when we play.

"The crowd at Cardiff Arms Park really got behind us and pushed us to close out big games during last season's TikTok Six Nations."

Wales team to face Ireland:

15. Courtney Keight, 14. Lisa Neumann, 13. Hannah Jones (captain), 12. Kerin Lake, 11. Carys Williams-Morris, 10. Elinor Snowsill, 9. Keira Bevan; 1. Gwenllian Pyrs, 2. Kelsey Jones, 3. Sisilia Tuipulotu, 4. Abbie Fleming, 5. Gwen Crabb, 6. Georgia Evans, 7. Alex Callender, 8. Bethan Lewis