Rugby: Wales overcome Sweden for first World Cup victory

September 2, 2024

A 34-10 victory over Sweden has secured Wales their first victory of the Women’s Rugby World Cup 2010, with the side now set to face South Africa in the ninth place play-off this coming Sunday.

Sweden-Wales Tries from Caryl James, Sioned Harries (2), Laura Prosser and co-captains Mellissa Berry and Jamie Kift sealed their win on a sunny afternoon at Surry Sports Park, Guildford.

Both teams seemed hesitant in the opening stages of the match, with Wales’ attacks often ending short because of handling errors and Sweden’s strong counter-rucking undermined by persistent offside offences.

After only 15 minutes the sin-binning of prop Jenny Ohman for not rolling away from the breakdown saw Sweden down to 14, with Wales soon making the most of the advantage through wing James after mounting pressure in the Swedish 22.

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After an initial break from prop Catrin Edwards, the ball was recycled for several phases before scrum half Amy Day found James out wide for the wing to touch down in the corner for the 5-0 lead.

A second yellow card for Sweden, this time for second row Sofi Bjorkman, saw the side reduced to 13 with Wales securing a second try through flanker Sioned Harries after Wales controlled a series of five-metre scrums due to their numerical advantage.

Five minutes later, and with Sweden back to their full 15, Lina Norman stepped up while regular kicker and captain Ulrika Andersson-Hall was receiving treatment to slot a 25-metre penalty to bring her side back into contention.

However, with the last play of the half, Wales number 8 Berry secured her side’s third try of the afternoon after a good break from hooker Rhian Bowden, bringing the half-time score to 17-3.

Wales picked up where they left off in the opening moments of the second half as they scored another try when, following a scrum, their backs broke blind and wing Mared Evans neatly offloaded to Sioned Harries.

Sweden’s response after 15 minutes came with a well-taken try from wing Charlotta Westin-Vines, who managed to beat four Welsh defenders on her route to the tryline to cut the deficit to 24-10.

With five minutes left on the clock, Wales all but sealed victory with a fifth try secured by replacement Prosser after she dived through a hole in the Swedish defence to score.

Wales scored their final try of the day through captain Kift when Berry picked up from the base of a scrum before offloading to the on-rushing flanker, who crashed over the line for a final score of 34-10.

Wales now face South Africa in the ninth place play-off on Sunday, while Sweden will play Kazakhstan in the 11th place play-off with both sides still seeking a first victory of Women’s Rugby World Cup 2010.

Speaking after the match, Wales captain, Jamie Kift, said: “It’s always an honour to play for Wales, leave alone lead them. It’s been a long time coming our first win but we’re there now and we move forward for that ninth place.”

Sweden captain, Ulrika Andersson-Hall, said: “Very disappointed. We gave away too many penalties and we had some sin-binnings too and it’s hard to play them because they’re really quick, they won quick ball and ran around us.

“We were hoping for more (than 11th/12th place) coming into the tournament, especially after the first match, but it is tough. It’s a long tournament and they’re physical teams that we’ve come up against. We’re not the biggest and we have taken a few knocks, but I’m positive that we can beat Kazakhstan. We have to go in with that attitude and hope for the best.”

For all the latest on the Women’s Rugby World Cup tournament including daily updates, player blogs, match reviews and highlights why not check out our Women’s Rugby World Cup mini-site? Click here and scroll down for all the latest action!

Rugby: Wales overcome Sweden for first World Cup victory

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