Wales name team to face Spain in World Cup qualifier and WXV play-off
Wales head coach Ioan Cunningham says it's "massively important" his team qualify for the 2025 Women's Rugby World Cup in England
Wales have named their team to face Spain on Saturday in a crucial World Cup qualifier and WXV play-off.
Should Wales beat the Rugby Europe Women’s Championship winners, they will have qualified for the 2025 Women's Rugby World Cup in England, and also secured their place in the second tier of World Rugby's annual women's rugby competition.
It is a crucial game for Ioan Cunningham's side, who finished bottom of the 2024 Women's Six Nations table this year to come away with the wooden spoon after a sole tournament win against Italy to end a run of seven straight defeats.
The winner of Wales v Spain will compete in WXV2 in South Africa this autumn along with Scotland, Italy, Australia and Japan, while the loser will drop into the third tier, WXV3, in Dubai with World Cup qualification up in the air.
Wales had been in the top tier of World Rugby's inaugural WXV competition last year, facing New Zealand, Australia and Canada, but returned from New Zealand without a win and the second tier is the best they can hope for this time around.
A drop to WXV3 would be seen as a significant step backwards for Wales just one year on from competing against world champions New Zealand, with the tournament in Dubai fielding much lower-ranked opposition.
Centre Kerin Lake, 34, will earn her 50th cap against Spain - 13 years after her debut in 2011 - and is one of a glut of players in the matchday squad who were crowned Premiership Women's Rugby champions with Gloucester-Hartpury in England's top flight last weekend.
Hannah Jones captains the side from centre, with fly-half Lleucu George partnering Keira Bevan at scrum-half. Jenny Hesketh starts at full-back with Carys Cox and Lisa Neumann on the wings.
Gwenllian Pyrs, Carys Phillips and Sisilia Tuipulotu make up the Wales front-row, with Abbie Fleming and Georgia Evans in the second-row. Vice-captain Alex Callender is named at openside flanker with Alisha Butchers at blindside flanker, and Bethan Lewis at the back of the scrum.
Wales will face Spain on Saturday, 26 June, at Cardiff Arms Park (5.35pm kick-off).
Spain featured in the Women's Six Nations up until 2006, and beat Wales in their last meeting in 2019 with a 29-5 victory.
Ranked 13th in the world - five places above Wales - Spain head into the clash as Rugby Europe Championship winners, having beaten Sweden 53-0 to claim the title, and off the back of warm-up games against Canada.
Wales head coach Cunningham said: "We know what we have to do – victory means World Cup qualification for England 2025 and qualification for WXV2 in South Africa in September.
"The focus all of this week has been on what we need to do and how we are going to play, and making sure we have the detail in our game right. We need to play with tempo and know Spain will view this vital game as a way to make a statement.
"We need to build on the win in our final game of the Guinness Six Nations against Italy and have selected the bulk of the team who delivered on that day. We know Spain have prepared with two warm-up games against Canada A and will pose a real challenge."
Wales: 15. Jenny Hesketh, 14. Lisa Neumann, 13. Hannah Jones (capt), 12. Kerin Lake, 11. Carys Cox, 10. Lleucu George, 9. Keira Bevan; 1. Gwenllian Pyrs, 2. Carys Phillips, 3. Sisilia Tuipulotu, 4. Abbie Fleming, 5. Georgia Evans, 6. Alisha Butchers, 7. Alex Callender (vice-capt), 8. Bethan Lewis.
Replacements: 16. Molly Reardon, 17. Abbey Constable, 18. Donna Rose, 19. Kate Williams, 20. Gwennan Hopkins, 21. Sian Jones, 22. Robyn Wilkins, 23. Courtney Keight.
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