McWilliams urges Ireland to 'move on' from Wales loss

An emotional Greg McWilliams insisted that Ireland must 'move on' following their painful Round 1 defeat at the hands of Wales.

The head coach fought back tears following his team's 31-5 loss in the opening round of the TikTok Women's Six Nations, openly disappointed with the result.

But he insisted that his players' grit and determination were never at fault and was proud of his team for putting everything they had on the line at Cardiff Arms Park.

McWilliams has now urged his team to learn from their losses and look forward to their next test against France next weekend.

"Anyone who's a head coach knows what it feels like in this moment because you feel like you’ve let people down," he said.

"It's hard and it is tough. These players care and they want to do something special, but it didn't go our way.

"They've worked really hard and you might not see that in the performance, but they put in a good shift, and we've now just got to get better.

"There's no point in looking back and feeling sorry for yourself. We must own it, move on and be better.

"We've got to show that we can improve and hopefully we can see that next week.

"There were things in that game I was really happy about but it just wasn't enough.

"I was really happy with the girls that came on and fought for things.

"Deirbhile Nic a Bhaird really had everything and showed great leadership. She's an example of someone who you want to go into battle with.

"We've now got to realise where we are now and own it. We've got to be patient but we have no excuses. Excuses are for losers.

"We deeply care."

McWilliams commended opposing coach Ioan Cunningham for producing a commanding Wales team on home turf in Cardiff.

Wales showcased their strength from the offset and never let up as Alex Callender crossed the line just three minutes in and was soon joined on the scoresheet by Keira Bevan, Sioned Harries, Hannah Jones and Sisilia Tuipulotu.

A well-fought second half by a rallying Ireland saw them grab points through a Nicola Fryday try but it was not enough to stop a surprisingly dominant and impressive opposition for McWilliams.

"I didn't expect that from Wales and I think they've been really well coached," he said.

"I know Ioan well and he deserves that.

"I think the first half they really showed their physicality and their ability to control the game and there were a lot of dominant bodies in the game.

"It was a little bit of a shock as you can imagine but now we just have to learn from it.

"It's easy to show resilience and say that you're showing resilience but it's when things don't go your way, that's the true test."

For all the latest TikTok Women’s Six Nations news, information, and details on how to watch the Championship, visit: https://womens.sixnationsrugby.com/