Wallaroos hoping honesty session reaps rewards in Wales
The Wallaroos are hoping a "brutal" honesty session will set them on the path to victory over Wales, with the teams meeting in a key clash in Newport this weekend.
The Australian women have won six straight against the Welsh but head into the Test match at Rodney Parade on Friday (Saturday 4am AEST) on the back of a disappointing 36-10 loss to Ireland.
As well as that unbeaten record, the Wallaroos want to get the upper hand before the sides square off in the opening round of the WXV 2 tournament in South Africa, which gets underway later this month.
Captain Michaela Leonard said there were some harsh truths shared in the review of the Ireland game.
"There was brutal honesty from all the coaching staff and the players alike when we reviewed this week," the lock said.
"There was no shying away from individual accountability or where we need to be better as a team because we need to be honest with each other so there was a little bit more fire in it.
"It was probably a little bit harder to hear at some points, but I think exactly what we needed in the moment and was that right shift, I guess, towards where we've got to this week and where we want to keep pushing towards."
The Wallaroos have only banked one win in six matches since English coach Jo Yapp took over at the start of the year but Leonard felt there had been progress.
She said the team was determined to show it on the paddock.
"There's been so much growth in this group in the last 12 months," the Western Force star said.
"On the field and off the field I don't think you can compare the people that are in the room now to what we were and where we were at the start of the year.
"It's not translating at this point onto what we do on the field, but the amount of knowledge off field, the amount of improvement in work ethic, understanding, execution on the training paddock has been huge for our group.
"It's that execution of tiny moments at each point in the game that's letting us down but we're not far off.
"Hopefully, this weekend is when you see it come together."
Grinding it out right until the end 💪#Wallaroos #WXV pic.twitter.com/TFKyjPvDOU
— Wallaroos (@WallaroosRugby) September 17, 2024
In their previous Test last November Australia edged Wales 25-19, while it was also a six-point margin in their 2022 Test with Leonard predicting another tight tussle.
"They're definitely always close, physical games, always really gritty games," she said.
"We know it's going to be tough and we have to execute right to come away with the result."