Are Wales players getting enough game time?

A common theme persisted throughout Wales’ winless Six Nations and World Cup post-mortems: game time.

Players entered international competitions without being prepared, insufficiently fit, and lacking in match sharpness due to a lack of match minutes at the club level.

Amanda Bennett, the women’s committee chair of the Welsh Rugby Union, said, “We have seen in WXV tournaments and the last World Cup that many of our players were just not physically or psychological prepared.”

Sean Lynn, the head coach for Wales, was already overly aware of this.

After the World Cup pool round exit, Lynn stated that he will be closely watching the limited game time this year.

The former Gloucester-Hartpury head coach would need to establish connections with Premiership Women’s Rugby (PWR) coaches to ensure that his players are given opportunities.

Only 12 members of Lynn’s 32-person team for the PWR season participated in the opening week of the season. Given the involvement of Bristol Bears, that number increased to 17.

Some people, including Gwen Crabb and Alex Callender, were injured, too.

However, if you look a little deeper, you’ll discover that only five of the 12 Wales players who started the week actually played, and only ten minutes of action from players like Megan Davies and Hannah Dallavalle.

Only seven of Wales’ 17 players who made their clubs debut this weekend did so right away. The rest of the bench had allotted different minutes.

What can Wales do to ensure that players are prepared for Test rugby and battle-tested when they play at the 2016 Six Nations?

Players can of course keep pushing the boundaries for PWR selection, but competition is fierce with the inclusion of many of England’s Red Roses in the squads.

One of Wales’ most exciting players this year, full-back Nel Metcalfe, one of the few shining lights, is hoping to make an impact in Gloucester.

The focus of this season is just playing, according to 20-year-old Metcalfe, “one thing we’ve seen from the World Cup is that game time is really important.”

Without a doubt, The Celtic Challenge will be very important. The Lightning and Thunder international competition is currently in its third year.

The WRU hopes that Welsh players who are struggling for game time to return home could even be drawn to the two regions.

It’s another chance to play, said Metcalfe, “because it was so amazing for me and so many other girls.”

“It has grown so much over the past two years, and I’m confident that it will grow even more this year.” It would be fantastic to participate in that as well.

The WRU announced in its most recent consultation that it would provide additional funding for the two teams, as well as a new four-club league, a national academy, and player development centers.

Because we can see the opportunities ahead, Bennett said, “The WRU has made a long-term commitment.”

“We need to make sure we are ensuring a future for players, girls, and boys who want to play for Wales,” he said.