Wales edged out 26-24 by USA after stirring WXV fightback
The United States held on for a 26-24 win over Wales at Cardiff Arms Park on Saturday 26 September in the WXV Global Series, women's rugby's international competition played outside the World Cup and Six Nations. BBC Sport
Wales trailed 21-7 and looked beaten. Then they found their fight. They clawed back to within two points but could not quite finish the job.
It was a narrow defeat against higher-ranked opponents. The USA are sixth in the world, five places above Wales. The visitors have now dominated the recent history between the sides, with Wales holding only one win from five meetings before this game.
Wales arrived with momentum. They had beaten South Africa 38-5 at the same ground earlier in the series, a result reported by World Rugby as a stellar performance. That victory had ended a run of nine straight Test defeats.
Head coach Sean Lynn had wanted more. He was chasing a third win in a row after the summer success against the Barbarians followed by the South Africa result. He still took positives from the way his side responded against the USA.
Co-captain Kate Williams was honest about the mood. She said the squad felt deflated. To come so close after being so far behind hurt.
Wales had to do it without scrum-half Seren Lockwood, the player who links the forwards and backs at the ruck and scrum. She was ruled out after failing a head injury assessment, rugby's standard concussion check, and her absence was felt early as Wales fell behind.
For fans, this means something mixed. The losing margin was tiny. The comeback showed courage and fitness. The slow start cost them.
What makes this stand out is the shift in the game. At 21-7 down, Wales could have folded. They did not. They carried harder, tackled with more bite and gave the home crowd something to shout about.
Next up are two Tests against Japan's Sakura Fifteen on 24 and 31 October. Lynn will want a faster start. Williams and her team-mates will want a win to turn deflation into belief.
