Phillips scored Wales’ third and decisive try 66 minutes into the second half in Jesi as she bagged a second try for the Welsh front row. On top of that, the Welsh scrum dominated throughout and the hooker’s line-out throwing hit the target throughout a great afternoon for the Welsh eight.
It was the first time Wales had won their opening game on the road since they beat Scotland 31-10 in Edinburgh in 2009 and the win ended a run of three successive triumphs for Italy over Wales in the championship. Now Phillips and her side will have world champions England in their sights in Round 2 on Saturday, 11 February at BT Sport Cardiff Arms Park (kick-off 11.30am).
“Our commitment in defence, particularly in our 22, probably won us the game. Italy kept on coming at us so we had to empty the tank trying to keep them out. Our backs had to defend just as hard as the forwards at times, which shows how much of a threat Italy can be,” said Phillips.
It was a great start to the campaign for Phillips’ father, head coach Rowland Phillips, and showed the value of having played four warm-up matches ahead of the trip to Italy. The cohesion up front, and the organisation in defence, was needed throughout against an Italian side ranked three places higher than Wales in the rankings.
“It was an excellent result for us. The game was everything we expected, but although we were prepared for what the opposition would throw at us, you have to actually go through it to really understand how a team like Italy can frustrate you,” said Rowland Phillips.
The coaches were able to give everyone a game once Phillips had crashed over for the third try. That meant there were first caps for Scarlets duo Gwenllian Pyrs in the front row and Jessica Kavanagh-Williams on the wing.
