Wallaroos winger Maya Stewart believes last week's defeat to Ireland will set them up ideally for the next 12 months as they get a crash course in Northern Hemisphere Rugby.
The Wallaroos were outclassed by the WXV 1 bound Irish 36-10 in Belfast after an ill-disciplined performance.
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They struggled at lineout time, losing five, whilst struggling for territory in the first half running into the wind.
“They were honestly just so physical in the collision and around the breakdown," Stewart admitted to reporters.
“The second half when we had the wind with us, they were tactical and used the stoppages to their advantages and were quite clever
“...We’re playing over this side of the world and we’re not as familiar with that aspect of the game. We’re used to playing the footy quickly and that transition attack, being on the front foot so they were clever.
“This tour is all about emulating the World Cup and we’re onto our second game so it’s all learnings we’ll take into WXV.”
Stewart was tasked with shutting down Irish Sevens star Amee Leigh Murphy-Crowe and did it with style as she crossed for a double.
“It does put confidence in your stride," she said on limiting Murphy-Crowe.
“I tried to take the opportunities I got but she was class. It helped having G-Fred (Georgina Friedrichs) inside me, who is one of the best centres in the world so having that confidence and using that connection helped so much.
The squad have arrived in Wales ahead of back-to-back games against the Welsh, with Saturday's morning (AEST) Test serving as a preview for the WXV opener a week later.
“They’re similar to us but they’re very dominant in the forwards and they’ve got a few electric backs," Stewart notes.
“We like the arm wrestling with them and coming out on top last time, it’s exciting knowing we get to play them.
“We’re going out there to give them hell but we’ll keep a few things in the arsenal for the following week.”
