Keira Bevan wants Wales to build early momentum by beating Scotland again

Keira Bevan hopes lightning can strike twice when Wales tackle Scotland in their Women’s Rugby World Cup opener.

Scrum-half Bevan kicked an 84th-minute penalty to give Wales a memorable 18-15 victory over Scotland when the two nations met in their tournament opener in New Zealand three years ago.

Saturday’s game at the Salford Community Stadium appears just as important as that 2022 meeting, with world-ranked number two Canada overwhelming favourites to win Pool B and only two quarter-final places up for grabs.

Bevan said: “We probably didn’t know how big that win against Scotland was in terms of getting out of the pool.

“It was a bit of a weird one because I was on the bench and you don’t think you’ll have a significant impact on the game.

“When you look at the footage you see there was a bit of toing and froing who was actually going to take the kick.

“I just thought I was kicking well in the warm-up. I saw it as an opportunity to back myself and luckily it went over.”

Rivalry

Wales and Scotland have developed a close rivalry in recent seasons, with the Scots edging last season’s Six Nations clash in Edinburgh 24-21.

Scotland head into the World Cup ranked eighth in the world and Wales ninth.

Pool B’s other team Fiji, led by the former Wales head coach Ioan Cunningham, are ranked 14th.

Bevan said of the Scotland clash: “It’s a massive game, there’s no shying away from that.

“We know that if we win it snowballs a bit of momentum. We’ve also found vice-versa that if that result doesn’t go our way it stops that.

“So there’s massive rivalry from our point of view, and the Scotland camp are probably saying the same. Whoever wins is in a good position moving forward.”

Controversy

The women’s game in Wales has been mired in controversy with the Welsh Rugby Union facing a series of allegations and scandals relating to the treatment of its women’s national team, including claims of sexism and misogyny.

WRU chair Richard Collier-Keywood and chief executive Abi Tierney apologised last autumn over the way contract negotiations were conducted with the national women’s squad.

Players had been threatened with withdrawal from WXV2 and the 2025 World Cup if they did not agree to a “final offer” ultimatum within a three-hour deadline.

On the field, Wales suffered a first Six Nations whitewash and conceded 40 points or more in losing to England, France, Ireland and Italy.

New coach Sean Lynn questioned his players’ work ethic and skill levels, but Wales ended their losing streak by winning the first match of their two-Test summer series in Australia.

“It hurt,” Bevan said of Lynn’s post-Six Nations assessment. “That was when we probably all had to take a bit of self-reflection and see what we could have done differently.

“You can always be fitter, faster and stronger and that’s something we’ve really dialled down on in pre-season.”