Considering everything that's happened, should we have expected any other outcome ?

With the bulk of the squad now being pro for 6/7months and the core of 12, a year, it was expected &

most felt ,if not a win, maybe a closing of the gap.

We forget of course England .while wales are improving, are not standing still themselves.

They were without 19 players for 7's and injury, for this game.

The secret of course is that they have been pro for 3 years, and the development they have built in that period, allows them depth. Some of their players, new to me were hugely impressive

When Shaun Edwards was Gatland's right hand man, Gats success was built on Shaun , and the new steel France have proves this.

England's tackling in this game was at a level I have never seen before in the  women's game, and I have been a keen observer for 6/7 years.

Such was their dominance, they were able to employ 2 sweepers back for kicks.

their clinical edge and sheer pace was stunning. Much admired

Sadly on a negative note, we have some England fans , wallowing in their own arrogance on BBC online. Unnecessary really. 

Little wonder there weren't many glum faces at the result of the WC final in NZ, other than England

Wales to their absolute credit, never gave up, but clearly ,in the second half were tiring and England were then clinical.

For the first 25/30 mins Wales were e right in it taking the game to England, like I have never seen before.

Problem was ,our attacking options were limited and we did not turn pressure in to points in the red zone, whereas England took their chances.

The gulf in skill (Not physicality)is huge, and you cannot learn that in the gym , it takes time.

Wales need to find (develop) some backs, as it appears we have plenty of forwards able to compete,

This will be the next step developing depth from the U20's, U18's U16's, and persuading young girls to take up the game. Schools have a huge part to play here , not to offer narrow choices of netball/ hockey(incredibly sexist), as only options for them to peruse sport. 

One thing is for sure women's rugby is here to stay.

Nearly 9,000 people turned out to watch Wales V England yesterday, a new record.

Many thanks to all who came, your support was very much valued.

It was so exiting to see so many young enthusiastic people there ,cheering for both sides

Finally, I have a message for one notable SF poster, very quiet ATM, who clearly doesn't feel women's rugby is worth the investment until its self financing........

"Come in to to the kitchen and smell the coffee". Its great !

It seems we are in the same boat, as with seniors,  better than Scots and Irish, not a lot between us and Italian's, and well behind French and English. 

It's clear as day to me that, as a small country, vwe need to maximise  our talent pool, so more girls are playing rugby,and see it as a great activity,  and for the best,  a career  move.

Much more has to done in schools to remove misguided  historical  misnomer  that girls are restricted  to hockey and netball.

Of course its great they do these things as well, as eye coordination  , reaction, etc , is a skill for all sports.

More girls need to be playing rugby at an early  age,and this should not be the sole responsibility  of the clubs.

I coached yuniors from 8 upwards , tag at that stage.There were girls in the team, including  my daughter. 

Everyone, irrespective  of gender, learned to give and take a pass, and eventually  gravitate  to drawing  a defender before giving a pass.

Other skills follower  on and by the time the team reached U10's they had become almost natural.

Unless you were a phenomenal  player  like Kiran Hardy, who was frequently,  our opponent,  most players had to work hard it...but it comes.

What you saw yesterday, in the senior game was ,as I indicated in my original  post, a big disparity  in skills.

This can be honed from hard work,  but the sooner  that this starts, the better.

Putting people under pressure  to make the right decision on the field 

is easier if you have a finally tuned skills  set.

Making the right decision,  in reading  the game,and coping with whatever  the opposition  throws at you comes with experience .

I will be very interested to see how our age teams develop,  and hopefully  there are a few , who can push on.

A pity that in the period when they had more possession and territory - for about 25 min - they couldn't score more than a penalty - England defended really well. The score of 19-3 at half time didn't reflect the game at all, but England were clinical - and really dominated the second half.

I think that in the NH France and England are still a long way ahead of the rest... we'll have to see if the gap can be closed a bit when our professional players have had longer with that status and the extra time and training that brings.

Aber  is correct with his comments above

The France v Scotland game was a carbon copy of Wales V England.

Scotland, plenty of fight, early doors, but made little headway against a dominant defence.

France take their opportunities , then come the second half run away with it.

The skills of Vernier in the centre, are an absolute delight.

The way  France support the ball carrier , and handle with pace and panache is brilliant.

Still think England will have too much power for them though, but it will be a great game

I think realistically, Wales chances of beating France over there are slim , but I do think we have a chance of beating the Italians, and a third spot with three wins would not be a bad return at all.

I fear for the Irish next weekend , could be 80 points against England 

Last year at Kingsholm, there was a big vociferous crowd, but today it was something else.

Don't know if that had any effect, but, Wales were slow out of the blocks, made some poor mistakes, and you CANNOT do that to a side of France's quality. They will take any opportunity, and they did .

One try was quite brilliant..in any form of rugby.

In fairness, Wales showed real character and quality in the second half, and could have nicked a third try

,but gave away prime field position , due to indiscipline by Sioned Harries.

Llecu George at inside centre , gives Wales a real kicking option, which they need .

This could prove vital against Italy. 

They have dangerous backs, but viewing the Scotland v Italy game, you could see the Italians are vulnerable in the scrum and driving line out , gaining field position therefore will be vital.

My only worry ATM that Wales have definitely moving forward, but have limited attacking weapons, particularly behind the scrum.

We need to unearth another Jaz Joyce , and a couple of others with pace

Good point...and one lost on a SF poster who was of the opinion, that the WAG, should be sponsoring,  the Women’s  game in Wales, or it should almost cease  to exist until it became financially  viable.

I reminded him that most pro sport , unless it's in the upper echelon of the Premier League, is not financially  viable. 

Too make it more viable  however, you have to grow it.

There are parallels  here, with the British economy,lack of investment  etc.

When you invest in age grade rugby, with coaching and infrastructure, 

It's obvious,  you are going to unearth talent. We in Wales, being a small country,  need to tap into that available  talent ,  capture it, nurture it, develop it and finally exploitvand showcase it !

That is the same for the men's and womens  game. 

The way you fill stadium's attract sponsors, is to become successful.

I went to Kingsholm , last Womens 6N,  to see Eng v Wal.

After the game I talked to various  people, including  parents of some of the English players.

They said not long ago, they were playing in front of 2 to 3 thousand, I was told. LOOK AT IT NOW!

Development  is the key, so I hope the WRU, keeps listening. 

Yes congrats to England. France though must be regretting their start to this game, by not (like wales) ,not making pressure count on scoreboard.

Well done to all concerned. If some fellow posters still question why investment is needed in the womens' game then surely they now have the answers. 58,000 in Twickenham yesterday and a record crowd at Cardiff for the England game. 

Thanks will and GPR

Its difficult for those on the  forum to fully appreciate the sacrifice the women made , prior to professionalism.

The jersey presentation by Sam Warburton , not long ago in the dressing room ,prior to a women's game, when he spoke passionately, about the honour of pulling on that jersey and  representing your country.

So many women have done that over the years, some travelling up and back to north wales, in a day just to train with the national team. Many have been working shifts, managing families , then travelling, training, putting in a huge shift, then going home.

We like in a gender balanced society, why shouldn't women have the same opportunities as men ? 

What is obvious now, is that game is growing.

People respond to success, which is why we had 58,000 in Twickenham yesterday.

England have been pro now for three years and it shows.

It is not just the physicality, but the finely tuned skills, which did for Wales, in our recent 6N match.

For Wales , a huge step forward , and not just in results.

Three wins were great, and beating the Italians, for the first time in 6 years was sweet.

However, in the games against the "big two", England and France, Wales showed in periods , how much they have improved. Against England , we had them rattled for almost 30 mins, but could not turn pressure into points, almost like France (early doors) yesterday. They have pressure and score, , eventually running away with the game.

Playing in a new structured league, against the best, will be a huge test for the girls, buts its exactly what they need , and this how you improve.

Further down the line the way forward is to feed off the momentum and continue to grow the game at age grade level. As I have said before, we are a small country, and need to maximise our resources.

Wales need desperately need to increase the pool of talent available to us( both men and women),and that can only come with increased WRU, investment in conjunction, with schools and colleges.

It could be an exiting future future for Women's rugby, and the ridiculous, negative comments of one poster in particular on SF, are now clearly put into perspective.

"Onwards and upwards !"