Quarter final defeat for Welsh trio

A tournament packed with improvement and impressive performances ultimately came to an end, as Wales suffered defeat to New Zealand in the last eight at the Rugby World Cup.

This was a repeat encounter of the group stage encounter between the two sides, after Wales qualified for the knockout stages as seventh seeds. However, for Wales, it would prove to be a repeat of the group stage fixture, as the Black Ferns ran out comprehensive victors.

Wales return home having secured victory over Scotland in the group stages, as well as suffering a narrow defeat to Australia. For Ioan Cunningham's side though, this tournament has shown significant growth and development within the squad, as they look to push on towards the 2025 tournament in England.

The Black Ferns were four tries to the good at half-time, whilst Wales could only reply through a Keira Bevan penalty, as the power of the tournament hosts ultimately proved too much.

Saracens' Donna Rose started the fixture, with Georgia Evans appearing off the bench. It was a back to the wall performance from Evans, who made ten tackles during her time on the field, whilst Rose also made ten tackles, as the Welsh defence stood up to a barrage of attack from the Black Ferns.

For Rose, Evans and Kat Evans, whilst they will be no doubt be disappointed to exit the tournament, they will be pleased to have reached the knockout stages, as Wales look to continue their improvement on the international stage.

Reflecting on the tournament and the match, Head Coach Ioan Cunningham was proud of the effort his side put in.

"We scrambled really well. I thought we fronted physically, created a lot of trouble for the Black Ferns and I'm just super proud. We asked them to empty everything they had tonight, fill the jersey with everything they had, play for something that's inside them and I thought they did that."