Lynn 'taking the pain' after Wales' Wooden Spoon

Wales boss Sean Lynn admits he is "taking the pain" after a second Six Nations Wooden Spoon on the spin.

A 43-24 defeat by Italy at Cardiff Arms Park condemned Wales to a successive clean sweep of losses in the championship.

Lynn took the reins before the 2025 championship but has enjoyed just one win – a pre-World Cup win in Australia – in 15 Tests.

"I always wanted it to be moving faster and I am taking the pain but I am definitely excited about what the future holds," insisted the head coach.

"I definitely feel that the gap is closing. I just feel that the consistency has to happen when at club level so it becomes a good habit in Test rugby.

"There are not any shortcuts and this pre-season is going to be huge for us.

"I knew that it was going to be a challenge and I am still very excited about where this group can go, because we want to work hard."

Former Gloucester-Hartpury boss Lynn pointed out the absence of five key players – Alex Callender, Kate Williams, Gwen Crabb, Nel Metcalfe and Lisa Neumann – that impacted Wales' strength and depth.

Those injuries contributed to performances dipping after a narrow opening loss to Scotland and spirited showings against France and England.

"The first three games we can be really proud of but we need to be better than the last two," admitted captain Bethan Lewis.

"It's completely within our control. It's just making sure we work on it all when we are not in this environment, not just when we come in for seven or eight weeks. We have to be doing it consistently throughout the year."

Wales might feel the gap is closing but there is still considerable work to be done to consistently battle Scotland, Ireland and Italy, let alone the French and English.

"It's frustrating coming off after results like that when we know we have the ability to be better than that," said Lewis.

"There is progress across the board, everybody is progressing so we need to learn quicker."

Wales face Barbarians at Twickenham on Saturday, 27 June in a double-header along with Steve Tandy's men.

That fixture is the day before the Premiership Women's Rugby final, which will further hit Lynn's resources.