Lynn Faces Italy as Wales Chase End to Eight-Test Slide — Women's 6 Nations
Wales head into their women's 6 nations meeting with Italy on Sunday, 17 May carrying an eight-Test losing streak and the worst run in their 39-year Test history. At Cardiff Arms Park, they are trying to avoid a clean sweep of defeats in the Championship and a ninth straight loss in all Tests.
Cardiff Arms Park Pressure
The match starts at 12:15 BST and comes after Wales lost to Scotland, England, France and Ireland in this Six Nations campaign. Italy arrive in Cardiff as favourites, adding another layer to a fixture that has already gone against Wales in 2024 and 2025.
That sequence has left Sean Lynn under growing pressure to end the slide after taking charge in early 2025. He has yet to mastermind a Six Nations victory, and another defeat would leave Wales with their ninth loss in a row across all Tests.
Tuipulotu's Cardiff Memory
The last time Wales needed a result against Italy in Cardiff, Sisilia Tuipulotu delivered it with a last-minute try in 2023. That effort rescued Wales, but the tone has shifted since then: they lost the fixture in 2024 and 2025 and collected consecutive Wooden Spoons after those defeats.
This is also the fourth successive Championship in which Wales and Italy have met in the final game, and the third time Wales have faced Italy on the final weekend while trying to avoid a clean sweep of defeats. The pattern has turned this match into a test of whether Wales can interrupt a run that has already become their longest ever.
Bevan Backs Lynn
Keira Bevan said the players are “100%” behind Lynn before the Italy game. That support sits against the harder numbers around her team: Wales have never lost eight matches in a row in Test history, though they did go 14 matches without a win between 1987 and 1993 before a draw ended that run.
A 10th loss in the competition would deepen the damage from the season and leave Wales trying to reset after another meeting with Italy has gone the wrong way. For now, the only immediate target is simple enough: stop the streak at Cardiff Arms Park.
