The busiest weekend ever: Part 1

FRIDAY

Oceania Championship:See separate preview

Wales v Hong Kong (Cardiff, 7pm)

Wales coach Rowland Phillips is taking advantage of this fixture to look at some of Wales’ rising stars. As a result there are eight changes in the starting line-up from the team that beat South Africa 19-5 last Saturday.

Two 17-years olds will start, including full back Lauren Smyth, who made her Wales debut against the the Sprinboks, and aged 17 last weekend, and Manon Johnes, who came on early off the bench last Saturday to win her first senior cap. There is a completely new front row with Cara Hope, Kelsey Jones and Cerys Hale, and Hannah Jones joins an experienced bench.

Phillips said, "There is no chance of us underestimating Hong Kong, However, we are maximising the opportunity of an intense international period to build strength in depth as we build towards the Six Nations. We're pleased with last weekend's performance, especially with how the girls fronted up physically and defensively and there is plenty to build on.

"We had four first caps against South Africa and they all get a chance to build on that experience on Friday. It was pleasing to see Lauren adapt her skillset to international rugby and Manon, who came on earlier than expected showed what she is capable of. Sioned is an experienced player and captained the Scarlets in the recent regional programme so while it's a young squad, there is a spine of experience too.

"It's outstanding to have this three Test series to try things out and take the knowledge into the Six Nations. We were buoyed by a great crowd last Saturday, it would be good to have the same vocal support again on Friday night to kick off the international weekend."

The two teams only previous meeting was at the 2017 World Cup where Hong Kong put together one of the best performances before losing 39-15, but many players from that squad have since retired – the squad includes 14 players who had not played test rugby prior to this tour. They come into the game on the back ofa heavy defeatin Spain last weekend (60-5).

Needing to expose a group of 14 new caps to international rugby, Hong Kong coach Jo Hull has kept the squad largely intact from the first test to the second, with a few tweaks.

Centre Grace Hood starts in place of Sarah Lucas, whom she replaced at half-time in Alicante. Lucas moves to the bench for the start of the match. Hong Kong sevens phenomenon Stephanie Chan will get her first start for Hong Kong at full-back, while U20s star Jessica Eden earns her first cap for Hong Kong on the wing. New prop Debby Lam Ka-wai has been named to the bench and is likely to see her first action on tour against the Welsh. Flanker Pun Wai-yan comes in for Maggie Au Yeung who moves to the opposite flank, pushing Winnie Siu to the bench. Experienced scrum half Sham Wai-sum has also been called up on the bench for Wales, along with utility back Lau Sze-wa.

For Hull, the measure of success lies in how much improvement the side shows from game one to two.

“The challenge we have set for the team is that we must see improvement from game to game. The whole purpose of this trip is to improve. This is year one of our three year journey for 2021 [Women’s Rugby World Cup] qualification and even, in the bigger picture, 2025.

“This is the group and this is the first step. By playing these teams, the players will get invaluable experience and exposure at this level. We need to expose them as much as possible before 2021 and 2025.” Hull is under no illusions that the difficulty level is increasing in Wales, ranked ninth in the world entering tonight’s clash.

“Looking at the Spain game, it really was a huge defensive effort from us. The key areas we were lacking in were our set piece and being able to get ahold of the ball initially, and then keep ahold of it and keep that possession.

“We were defending from the start of the game, so our defence has again been a focus for us ahead of Wales. They are a very strong and physical team.

“The breakdown is going to be important for us in terms of being able to stop them from gaining momentum. So we have been looking at our scrum and lineout a lot this week and we need to see significant improvement there.

“It is difficult to play rugby if we are missing a lot of tackles, as we did in Spain. The big challenge is to match their physicality and make sure they don’t run away with the game or build too much momentum early on and not to let them bully us.

“We felt the subs did well against Spain, so it is reassuring to see that we are starting to develop a bench that can add impact to the game,” Hull added.

Wales:Lauren Smyth (Ospreys); Jasmine Joyce (Scarlets), Alecs Donnovan (Ospreys), Alicia McComish (Dragons), Lisa Neumann (RGC); Robyn Wilkins (Blues), Ffion Lewis (Scarlets); Cara Hope (Ospreys), Kelsey Jones (Ospreys), Cerys Hale (Dragons), Gwen Crabb (Ospreys), Mel Clay (Ospreys), Manon Johnes (Blues), Bethan Lewis (Dragons), Sioned Harries (capt, Scarlets)Replacements:Carys Phillips (Ospreys), Caryl Thomas (Dragons), Amy Evans (Ospreys), Natalia John (Ospreys), Siwan Lillicrap (Ospreys), Keira Bevan(Ospreys), Hannah Jones (Scarlets), Jess Kavanagh (RGC)

Hong Kong:  1. LAU Nga-Wun, 2. Dr Karen SO (captain), 3. YIP Cho-kwan, 4. CHAN Ka-yan, 5. TSANG Ching-man, 6. PUN Wai-yan, 7. Maggie AU YEUNG, 8. Melody LI (vice captain), 9. Jessica HO, 10. CHENG Lok-tung, 11. CHONG Ka-yan, 12. Grace HOOD, 13. Natasha OLSON-THORNE (vice captain), 14. Jessica EDEN, 15. Stephanie CHAN, 16. Charlotte MYRANS, 17. Vincci LEUNG, 18. LAM Ka-wai, 19. Amber CHAN, 20. Winnie SIU, 21. SHAM Wai-sum, 22. Sarah LUCAS 23. LAU Sze-wa.

SATURDAY

Switzerland v Czechia (Yverdon, 1pm CET)

The second game of the European Trophy sees Switzerland take on Czech Republic, a fixture that has been played four times before, with all games being won by the Swiss.

After an impressive performance in Finland the Swiss just need to win this game to take the three-team Trophy, and look likely to do so. With just three changes from that game last month, the Swiss also benefit from fielding a settled team, with Brazilian-born Laline Da Silva Goes in the squad again after her match-winning try last time out.

The home team start as clear favourites. The Czechs are still looking for a first international win, and may have to wait for the last game of the tournament when they meet Finland at home to achieve that.

Switzerland (TBC): 1 - Victoria Laternser; 2 - Angela Stadelmann; 3 - Katja Dick; 4 - Anais Kistler; 5 - Juliette Pera; 6 - Carole Gachet; 7 - Leonie Robert; 8 - Sabrina Walti; 9 - Fabienne Ullmann; 10 - Simone Haymoz; 11 - Nicole Gerber-Imsand; 12 - Rahel Bosshard; 13 - Carole Casparis; 14 - Selina Fux; 15-Sandra Lecci ; 16 – Maria Sorli Rico; 17 - Rebecca Ellis; 18 - Kim Andrey; 19 - Julie Gaudin; 20 - Salome Hosch; 21 – Laline Da Silva Goes;22 - Ester Duss; 23 - Pauline Delessert. Coach: Emmanuel Revert

Czechia:Tereza Baťhová, RK Petrovice;  Hana Běhalová, RC Dragon Brno;  Kateřina Daníčková, RC Tatra Smíchov;  Sára Lea Exnerová, RC Sparta Praha ; Daniela Ferugová, TJ Sokol Mariánské Hory ; Renata Frýdlová, RC Mountfield Říčany ; Tereza Haffnerová, RC Sparta Praha ; Klára Hladilová, RC Sparta Praha ; Dominika Holčíková, RC Sparta Praha ; Karolína Hudečková, RC JIMI Vyškov ; Petra Křiklánová, RCTatra Smíchov ; Jana Nedvídková, RC Sedlčany ; Lucie Oupicová, RC Mountfield Říčany ; Kristýna Plevová, RC Tatra Smíchov ; Zuzana Skokanová, RC JIMI Vyškov ; Aneta Šmejdová, RC Sparta Praha ; Gabriela Špačková, RC Zlín ; Michaela Švecová, RC Mountfield Říčany ; Jana Urbanová, RC Sparta Praha ; Kateřina Wackermannová, RC Tatra Smíchov ; Alexandra Zítková, RC Dragon Brno ; Zuzana Žároská, RC JIMI Vyškov ; Šárka Žižkova, RC Tatra Smíchov

France v New Zealand (Grenoble, 2.30 CET)

The match of last weekend promises to be the match of this weekend too. After the battle royale in Toulon anticipation could hardly be higher.

France make three changes to their starting squad and four overall, partly forced by injury (Montserrat Amédée, Julie Annery) and partly by the demands of the 7s squad (Nassira Konde and Chloé Pelle).

Caroline Boujard, on the wing in the first match, slips into full back, with her former position taken by Ian Jason.  Maëlle Filopon comes in for Konde at inside centre alongside Carla Neisen. In the pack, Céline Ferer replaces Julie Annery and Lise Arricastre starts pushing Annaëlle Deshayes on the bench.

Coach Samuel Cherouk said " We made some changes due to the wounded, but we are on a tour. We need evaluate all the players. We must share around the game time. Everyone must take part in the project, whether they are a starter or substitute. With that we build the whole squad. For Saturday's match, we have to be able to do what we did well in the first match. "

Team manager Annick Hayraud adds, "There was frustration at the end of the match last weekend. There was a bit of apprehension beforehand because they are the World Champions and we had a group of girls who had never played them before and respected them. After the game we were really reassured about our ability to confront the Ferns, and by our state of mind. When we looked at the course of the game, we made some mistakes in our strategy but it is only by confronting this level of opposition that we learn and progress.

“This week we have been concentrating on keeping the ball a little longer and not losing it too easily. There are some chances that we have did not take and that we should have taken or attempted. The weekend was really focused on recovery for the team because it was intense in terms of physical contact and challenge. At the start it was rather busy, swapping between field and bodybuilding. We will also did video analysis before leaving for Grenoble. "

"On Saturday the goal is clear: we want to win and I sincerely believe that we are not far from achieving that. The players have learnt because they have played them. Entering this game we know our opponents. You really do not have to be complicated. We showed our commitment and determination on this first match. We will need to keep the ball better and hope the weather will be better in Toulon."

The Black Ferns have made one change to their 23-strong squad for the second test against France in Grenoble on Sunday morning (NZT).

Coach Glenn Moore has opted for the same starting 15 that beat France 14-0 in the first test at Toulon, with his lone change happening on the bench, where debutant Natahlia Moors replaces loose forward Marcelle Parkes.

The line-up sees a more traditional five forwards and three backs named for the bench, a shift from the six forwards and two backs named last week.

Coach Moore said he was proud of the way the players rose to the challenge in the first test against France last week.

"We expected the French to come out firing and they did just that. This weekend, we're expecting that level of intensity to ramp up a notch.

"The players have recovered well and we've been upping the intensity all week in preparation. Having an extra day up our sleeves has given us more time to further refine our game plans and manage a couple of minor injuries.

"Every time this team pulls on a black jersey, they want to put out their best performance and this Saturday will be no exception.

"This will be their last test match for 2018 and we all want to finish on a high. It's going to be high intensity and we will need to retain our composure."

France:1 Lise Arricastre; 2 Caroline Thomas; 3 Julie Duval; 4 Lénaïg Corson; 5 Safi N'diaye; 6 Gaëlle Hermet; 7 Céline Ferer; 8 Romane Menager; 9 Pauline Bourdon; 10 Caroline Drouin; 11 Ian Jason; 12 Carla Neisen; 13 Maëlle Filopon; 14 Cyrielle Banet; 15 Caroline BoujardReplacements: 16 Laure Touye; 17 Annaëlle Deshaye; 18 Dhia Maylis Traore; 19 Audrey Forlani; 20 Fiona Lecat; 21 Yanna Rivoalen; 22 Gabrielle Vernier; 23 Doriane Constanty

New Zealand:1 Phillipa Love; 2 Fiao'o Faamausili (c); 3 Aldora Itunu; 4 Eloise Blackwell; 5 Charmaine Smith; 6 Charmaine McMenamin; 7 Les Elder; 8 Aroha Savage; 9 Kendra Cocksedge; 10  Krysten Cottrell; 11  Ayesha Leti I'iga; 12  Ruahei Demant; 13 Stacey Waaka; 14 Renee Wickliffe; 15 Selica WiniataReplacements: 16 Te Kura Ngata Aerengamate; 17 Leilani Perese; 18 Aleisha Pearl Nelson; 19 Jackie Patea Fereti; 20 Linda Itunu; 21 Kristina Sue 22  Monica Tagoai; 23  Natahlia Moors

Netherlands v France Militarie (Amsterdam, 3pm)

While not a test match, this will still be an important game for the developing Dutch XV as they build towards the European Championship next year, having been runners-up in this year's competition. The Dutch have already beaten Sweden in a non-test international this season, The French military XV will provide good opposition, though based on recent results against other national teams the Dutch should win comfortably, especially if they have ambitions to go one step further in next years Europeans.

Netherlands:Annemieke van Vliet (AAC Rugby); Anoushka Beukers (RC the Bassets); Bastiënne Oonk (AAC Rugby); Bodil van Wijnbergen (All Blues); Bowien van der Sluijs (Castricumse RC); Demi Kist (AAC Rugby); Esra van Ramele (RC Delft); Hiske Blom (Castricumse RC); Inger Jongerius (RC Waterland); Jessica Wiangyangkung (Utrechtse RC); Jordan Heil (AAC Rugby); Kika Mulling (RC the Bassets); Kim Haaker (RC Waterland); Lorraine Laros (RC Delft); Marit Bakker (RC Delft); Marscha Völker (All Blues); Miriam van de Veen (Castricumse RC); Nicky Dix (All Blues); Quen Makkinga (AAC Rugby); Samantha Martinez Gion (AAC Rugby); Saskia Herrmann (AAC Rugby); Sophie Touber (Castricumse RC); Tessa Wijmans (AAC Rugby)

Spain v South Africa (Villajoyosa, 5.30)

Saturday ends with Spain hosting South Africa in a game that will be more of a test for the Lionesses than Hong Kong last week, and will give South Africa another chance to see where they stand after last weeks loss to Wales

The two teams have only met once beford - at the 2014 World Cup where Spain's 36-0 win was the last straw that saw the SARU withdraw their test team from international competition, a self-imposed exile that is only being broken now by this tour, four years later

The Springbok assistant coach Eddie Myners said there was a deep desire within the team to improve on their performance when they face Spain on Saturday after a morale-boosting reintroduction to Test rugby last week.

The ‘bok went down 19-5 against Wales in Cardiff on Saturday in their first Test since the 2014 Women's Rugby World Cup after trailing 12-5 for most of the second half. This followed a 31-12 victory against the UK Armed Forces in Richmond in their tour opener.

Myners' was upbeat as the team began their preparations for the clash against Spain, which will be hosted at Campo de Rugby in Villajoyosa.

"The mood in camp is great and the players are really looking forward to the match," said Myners on Monday. We took several positives from the game against Wales, and there is a desire throughout the squad to improve on that performance this week.

"We had 56% possession and 47% territory in that match, but we were unable to convert that pressure into points. The players certainly learned that this is the golden rule of Test rugby. The other encouraging aspects we took from that performance were the quality of our defence, breakdowns and lineouts, and we will certainly look to build on that this week."

Myners expected a tough encounter against Spain and said: "They are a hard-running side that gets around the park quickly, and they constantly look for space on attack. They also have good set pieces. So this will be another physical clash, but one that will also test our speed and agility."

Myners emphasised the importance of believing in their structures as the tour progresses and said: "We are currently in a building phase, so we will stick to what we have done in the last three weeks and add to that as we go along.

"We need to have confidence in our plan and remain patient, especially since last weekend's game marked our first Test in four years. So we will take the positives from that match and continue to put in the hard yards at training."

Spain:1. Saioa Jaurena ; 2. Marga Rodríguez ; 3. Laura Delgado ; 4. Anna Puig ; 5. Maika Brust ; 6. Maitane Salinas ; 7. Paula Medín (C); 8. María Losada ; 9. Patricia García ; 10. María Ahís ; 11. María García ; 12. Marina Bravo ; 13. Lide Erbina ; 14. Alba Vinuesa ; 15. Iera EchebarríaReplacements:16. Isabel Rico ; 17. Isabel Macías ; 18. Sandra Treviño ; 19. Ruth Hernando ; 20. María Calvo ; 21. Carla Rodríguez ; 22. Paula Requena ; 23. Ainhoa ​​Portos

South Africa(15-1): Vuyolwethu Maqholo, Nosiphiwo Goda, Zintle Mpupha, Demi Nel, Alana-Lee Horne, Kirsten Conrad, Tayla Kinsey, Aseza Hele, Kamohele Makoele, Lusanda Dumke, Sinazo Mcatshulwa, Karthy Dludla, Babalwa Latsha, Lindelwa Gwala, Thantaswa MacingwaneReplacements:Yonela Ngxingolo, Katlego Moremi, Bernice Strydom, Nthabiseng Marutla, Pennbry McNamara, Charmaine Kayser, Felicia Jacobs, Fundiswa Plaatjie