Wales' Kate Williams: 'We did a review on Sunday and put Australia to bed'

Having previously been in the New Zealand navy as a warfare officer, Kate Willliams has learnt in life how to stay calm under pressure and how to stay calm when challenges are thrown your way.

As a result, she did not get too high while she watched from the stands as Wales defeated Australia in Brisbane last week and she will not be too low now after they lost the second Test in Sydney on Friday with her on the pitch.

The visitor had to deal with losing Williams’ fellow co-captain and fellow back-rower Alex Callender to injury after just three minutes and the home side got their revenge for game one with a 36-5 triumph.

‘This Energy Never Stops’ – Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025

‘This Energy Never Stops’ – Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025

Wales are now travelling home as the build up to the Women’s Rugby World Cup really intensifies and, while sweating on Callender’s fitness, they will feel in a decent place in general heading into the opener with Scotland in Manchester on August 23rd.

“The tour has been really good, bringing everyone together on and off the pitch and putting things into practice that we had worked on back at home,” Williams said.

Having grown up in Swansea and then moved to New Zealand age four with her family, Williams’ introduction to the Welsh national squad came in early 2022.

With Wales having been made aware of her eligibility, a Zoom call to the barracks where she was stationed in February of that year from then head coach Ioan Cunningham was then followed by an invitation to training.

She was then brought in as a late call-up to the event being played in New Zealand later that year when Alisha Butchers was injured.

After that whirlwind experience – and despite still being uncapped – she then took the leap of faith to go ‘all in’ with Wales and moved to the UK to play for Gloucester-Hartpury.

Since then, she has earned two PWR titles with her club in England and become a leader for Wales age 25, so it is fair to say the big move was worth it.

“I think the decision’s been justified now,” she said. “I didn’t think I’d be at the next World Cup when I first came over, let alone having the trust put in me to lead the team with Alex, but I’ve enjoyed every single second of it. Playing for Wales is a massive honour and was always a dream of mine.

“I gave myself a year when I first headed over and then it turned into two, but it’s just really taken off. To get the contract was Wales was massive. It meant I could do the one thing I love.”

After a winless Guinness Women’s Six Nations, head coach Sean Lynn was brutally honest with his squad during the training weeks before the Australia trip and said they had to work harder.

“It was a fair comment,” admitted Williams. “We were probably a bit disconnected when we came into the Six Nations earlier in the year, there were a lot of moving parts. The pre-season was good because we had everyone was able to start afresh.

“We’ve put in a lot of work and worked hard for each other since then and we are growing.”

Meanwhile, Lynn believes the Austtralia series and trip has been a “big positive”.

The battling qualities shown in the 21-12 triumph in Brisbane will certainly serve them well going forward while Seren Lockwood, Katherine Baverstock and Tily Vicaj all earned first caps on the tour.

The head coach, who has only been in post for a few months, said: “The way we have connected as a group, players and staff, on this tour has been so beneficial, I’m taking this trip as a really big positive for us.

“I’ve learned a lot and now myself and the coaching team will go away and have a think about what works well for us, what combinations are working and certain individuals have definitely been putting their hands up for selection for the World Cup.

“We wanted all 30 players to get playing minutes because the two games were all about trying to find combinations and what works for us in different games. It has all been about building for the World Cup.

“I said to the girls at the end of the game in Sydney that it had been another pre-season game for us as we build towards the World Cup. We had enjoyed the win the previous week and I thought Australia’s reaction to it was great.

“They turned their pressure into points, which is something we didn’t do well enough when we had opportunities in the first 15 or 20 minutes.

“They won the physical battle, they won the territorial battle, but also they turned pressure into points. We need to learn to be ruthless in that way.

“We did a review on Sunday and put Australia to bed and we’ll be back in camp later this week back home as things continue moving forward.”

The 32-strong Wales squad for the World Cup is due to be named next week.