by Tom Pritchard
Rowland Phillips, Head Coach of Wales Women’s national rugby union team has advocated improved media coverage of the game.
He outlined the positive impact it could have during his presentation to the Women in Sport, Breaking Barriers Conference.
Women’s rugby in Wales has long been fighting a battle for increased coverage, whether it is in the print media, online or television.
While Phillips, 53, has accepted that results on the pitch have a part to play in attracting more coverage to the women’s game, he believes there are reasons to raise its profile.
St David’s-born Phillips, who took over at the helm in July 2016, has overseen fifth and sixth-place finishes in the Women’s Six Nations in 2017 and 2018 respectively.
At the 2017 Women’s Rugby World Cup, Wales finished third in Pool A behind Canada and eventual winners New Zealand, two sides ranked third and first in the world respectively – based on their 15s and 7s ranking.
Wales are 13th in the world, behind the likes of Russia, Italy, Netherlands and Spain.
The former Viadana head coach explained that he was disappointed by the press his team received during the tournament.
“We played in the World Cup, and we had a tough pool, New Zealand, Canada, Hong Kong was alright. It was a tough pool, but we managed to get somewhere in the end.
“We played New Zealand, but we did really, really well. In the end it was 44-12, and our Welsh journalists were saying that Wales were embarrassed by New Zealand’s power, or that Wales were dominated and overwhelmed.
“I spoke to the journalist who was out there. I asked him where he was from and he said Wales. I said ‘I’m not asking you to make it seem as if Wales were unlucky, but something more positive. Make people want to watch us.’”
The former cross-code forward had a clear message for journalists: “If you want to be that guy who is going to try and knock everything then fair enough, just go and hide in a corner and do that.
“We’re not asking you to write rubbish just for the sake of it, but be a bit more constructive.
“One word from a journalist can undo a year or two of work, but it can also reinforce and really accelerate what I’m trying to do.”
Wales begin their Six Nations campaign with a trip to Montpellier to play reigning-Grand Slam champions France on February 2.
