Wales Women U18 played out two scoreless draws with England and Italy on their second day of action at the Six Nations U18 Festival at Wellington College.
In difficult conditions the Welsh teams sought to build on their opening day win over the Scots but failed to turn their pressure into points in both 35-minute matches.
Against England, Taufa Tuipulotu and Jorja Aiono combined from the first line-out to carry Wales up to within a couple of metres of the posts before a turnover saved the day for the English side.
The two forwards were prominent throughout, along with back row duo Charlie Williams and Chiara Pearce. Both Pearce and Aiono were also responsible for putting in some huge hits in defence.
Skipper Isla McMullen was always a threat in attack in the Welsh midfield and rallied her troops to hold their line when England threatened. Tight head prop Isabel van der Straaten was miraculously held up over the line to save a try after a driving line-out and England’s power game up front failed to bring them any reward.
Wales had to play for a spell with only 14 players at the end of the game when wing Saran Jones picked up a yellow card for a high tackle. That didn’t hinder the Welsh effort and in the final minutes Crystal James was driven to within a metre of the line before being penalised for crawling.
A much changed starting XV then took on Italy and dominated possession and territory without managing to get on the scoreboard. Scrum half Lilly Hawkins was a box of tricks at the base of the dominant Welsh pack and time after time tried to spark a reaction in the Italian 22 to try to produce a score.
“We were disappointed not to get two victories, but I can’t fault the defensive efforts. We were outstanding in defence against England and really put pressure on them,” said Wales U18 head coach Siwan Lillicrap.
“The physicality, passion and hunger were there throughout both games. We created opportunities in attack and were in the English 22 in the first 10 and last 10 minutes.
“Chiara Pearce was brilliant, and Seren Lockwood did really well in the first game. The forwards put in a huge shift physically and we really rattled a full-strength England side.
“We need to find a way to capitalise on our pressure and learn to execute the opportunities we create. We had all the territory and possession against Italy, but it just didn’t stick.
“It was a huge improvement on Day 1. This tournament is a learning and growing process for all the players and now we need to get ready for the final game against Ireland, which will be a full 70 minute match.”
England went on to lose 21-12 to the Scottish side that Wales had beaten the day before, while Ireland beat the Scots 22-7 before going down 14-0 to the unbeaten French side.
The final day of action is on Saturday 19 April, with Wales facing Ireland at 12 noon.
Wales U18 v England: Beatrice Morgan; Saran Jones, Isla McMullen (captain), Sienna McCormack, Lily Foscolo; Ffion Williams, Seren Lockwood; Crystal James, Taufa Tuipulotu, Evie Hill, Jorja Aiono, Tegan Bendall, Charlie Williams, Chloe Roblin, Chiara Pearce
Reps: Shanelle Williams, Georgia Morgan, Rhoswen James, Erin Jones, Amelia Bailey, Lily Hawkins, Kate Johnson, Megan JonesWales U18 v Italy: Megan Jones; Saran Jones, Katie Johnson, Sienna McCormack, Meg Thomas; Kacey Morkot, Lily Hawkins; Georgia Morgan, Shanelle Williams, Rhoswen James, Erin Jones, Cara Mercier, Abigail Richards, Amelia Bailey (captain), Izzy Jones
Reps: Taufa Tuipulotu, Crystal James, Evie Hill, Tegan Bendall, Chiara Pearce, Seren Lockwood Isla McMullen, Lily Foscolo