Photo via BBC Sport

Wales deliver performance of serious promise

Wales opened their WXV Global Series campaign in sensational fashion on Friday night, crossing the whitewash eight times to secure a 50-19 triumph over South Africa. The outcome marked a massive turnaround for head coach Sean Lynn's squad, who entered the contest sitting 13th in the world rankings against a 10th-ranked opponent, following a bleak spell that featured three Six Nations wooden spoons and a winless World Cup campaign.

Watching from the stands was British and Irish Lions Women's boss Jo Yapp as co-captain Alex Callender collected player of the match honors on the flank, while tight-head prop Sisilia Tuipulotu powered over for a brace.

Lynn incorporated three uncapped squad members into his 23-player lineup, with debutant starter Freya Bell and ex-Cardiff City footballer Amy Williams earning praise alongside key positional shifts from fly-half Keira Bevan and full-back Lisa Neumann. Lock Georgia Evans also shone, helping Lynn claim his third victory since taking the reins last year and enabling Bevan to reach the 50-point plateau for the first time across her 84 international appearances.

Despite the milestone victory, the head coach expressed a desire to see greater crowd turnouts at the Arms Park for upcoming fixtures.