Ioan Cunningham’s side have lost all four of their matches in the Championship to leave them bottom of the table with one point, five behind Italy in fourth and Ireland in fifth. It means they won’t match their heights of 2023 when they finished third behind England and France, with 15 points, and qualified for the inaugural WXV1.
They will certainly have fierce support behind them when they run out at the Principality Stadium, though Italy also have happy memories of the arena in the heart of Cardiff having won their 2018 Six Nations encounter there 22-15.
Callender is no stranger to the 74,500-capacity venue, having played for Wales against the Barbarians in 2019 and it is the first time since then that Wales’s women have run out for a stand-alone Test match at the stadium.
With the match against England in next year’s Championship also taking place at the iconic venue, Callender doesn’t want to disappoint their fans.
“It means the world. It’s where the heart of Welsh rugby is,” she tells us. “We're just going to take it in step by step and just embrace everything. We're just gonna go there and play with everything that we've got and give everything that we've got on the field.
“Every single one of us is just so excited about going onto the field on Saturday and we will take it all in and absolutely leave everything out in the park.
“We've spoken about putting the wrongs right. [Saturday] afternoon is definitely where we can do that. Italy have been playing really well throughout the campaign, but ultimately, we've got to work to win on the weekend.
“We have to stay tight as a group and put a performance out and then the result will follow. If we do that on Saturday, we're going to have a good day.”
FLYING FRENCH
Wales go into the match on the back of a 40-0 defeat to France at Cardiff Arms Park in Round 4. The loss followed on from their Round 1 loss to Scotland, which was followed by wins for England and Ireland.
It was France’s best performance of the Championship. They were ruthless in attack and defence on their way to a six-try victory that sets up a Grand Slam decider against England in Bordeaux that ends the Championship.
“We had so much possession and we didn't come away with any points against France which was disappointing,” Callender said. “We spoke a lot this week about capitalising on opportunities in their 22 and coming away with points.
“It's patience, to be honest. We've got the players to be able to do it and it just it comes down to patience and confidence. We’ve got a couple of new caps as well, and as leaders, we've got to help them on the field as much as we can and bring confidence into them as well.”
AC/VC
While she is only 23, the extent to which Callender has become a senior member of the squad is reflected in Cunningham’s decision to make the flanker vice-captain to Hannah Jones at the start of the campaign.
The Carmarthen native is closing in on 40 caps, though Callender may have been representing Wales at netball if circumstances had been different.
Having played the sport since she was 13, Callender was called up to the Welsh U21 netball team at the same time as she was named in the Wales Sevens team, but the contact element of rugby made the difference.
Callender showed how good a leader she is when she captained Brython Thunder in the Celtic Challenge, and her claim that she is the type of player who leads by example is played out by the fact that she is the leading tournament tackle-maker with 65.
“Ioan [Cunningham] spoke to me at the start of the campaign and asked if I wanted to take that role,” she said. “I‘ve taken what I've done with Thunder into the Welsh team and not really changed.
“For Thunder I am the kind of leader who wants to lead by example with what I do on the field. Hopefully, I can do that every week for the girls, and they can follow me. It's developed me as a player and also as a leader.”
WALES’S YOUNG DRAGONS
If Callender has become a senior pro at an age when many players are starting out on their international careers, it reflects the youthful nature of Wales’s squad.
Over the previous four rounds Mollie Reardon, 20, and Sian Jones and Gwennan Hopkins, both 19, have impressed when making their Wales debuts.
It means that Callender and the senior team members can’t rest on their laurels with the next generation nipping at their ankles, and it gives the team hope that Wales will be more competitive in seasons to come.
“Sian Jones, the nine, she turned around and said, ‘God, you've been around for years. What are you, 29?’ I’m like, ‘No, I’m 23.’ Having those young girls coming through, they are really challenging our positions and the competition is thriving within camp,” Callender said.
“Having those younger girls who are ready to set foot on the international stage is just brilliant. I think Sian Jones, this time next year, is going to be one of the best nines in the world, and Gwennan Hopkins, she's a real good talent.
“We're just really privileged to have those players coming through the Welsh set-up.”
