Williams says Wales must keep discipline to turn close games into wins

Wales co-captain Kate Williams says discipline in the closing moments is the next step after the 26–24 defeat by the United States at Cardiff Arms Park. Hooker Kelsey Jones also believes Wales should have won, saying the visitors made the most of Welsh mistakes.

Disappointment reflects higher expectations

In comments published in Welsh by the WRU, Williams said the squad’s disappointment showed how much Wales had improved. She said the team remained in contention until the final seconds but needed to maintain discipline to put itself in a position to win. Williams thanked supporters for the atmosphere and said the squad would work to improve further on the forthcoming Japan tour.

Jones points to mistakes, not a lack of belief

Jones, who scored one of Wales’ four first-half tries, said confidence within the squad remained strong. She credited the coaches for helping build that belief, while acknowledging that the USA had exploited Welsh errors. The comments put the emphasis on converting a competitive performance into a result. Wales led 24–21 at half-time but did not score after the break; the USA added the only second-half try.

The narrow margin

Both teams finished with four tries. The USA converted three, compared with two for Wales, leaving a two-point difference at full time. Those figures come from the WRU match report. The player comments above are paraphrased from the WRU’s Welsh-language reaction report. They are not presented as verbatim English quotations.