In her latest column counting down to Women's Rugby World Cup 2010, Wales full back Non Evans reveals how the squad are putting behind them the disappointment of a Six Nations wooden spoon and her latest sporting target - qualifying for the Commonwealth Games in wrestling.
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A month on from the Six Nations, I think I've stopped being as upset at Wales' campaign, although it doesn't go away. We had a meeting a couple of weeks ago with the coaches and all the players where we focused more on what we are going to do moving forward towards the World Cup to improve as a team.
It was really good, rather than dwell on the negatives, we just looked forward and at how things are going to get better. It was really productive. We addressed a lot of technical issues as well as tactical, what as a team we want to work on technically and tactically and also what we can do as individuals, working on personal fitness and skills, so improving our own skills as well as the team before the World Cup.
We worked in groups and we all wrote down things. It was a long list of things! We didn't want to go through the matches and pick at every mistake and be really negative, that doesn't help. It's better to look at the positives and what we can do going forward.
It was really positive and hopefully everybody will take on board what was said we would do and hopefully we will be a better side for it. In a way you could put a positive spin on it, it was kind of a shock we needed. We had done so well in the past few years and it brought us back down to earth, gave us something to build up from.
Our regional competition has now begun, we've just had our second match. I am playing for the Scarlets, on the opening day we beat Ospreys and the Dragons beat the Blues. They have tried to put players where they are from originally rather than where they live or else everybody would be playing for Cardiff where the majority of the Welsh squad are based!
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That's why I'm with the Llanelli Scarlets, that's where I am from originally. It has been refreshing, it has been completely different coaches, two guys I had never met before, and they have come in with new fresh ideas. It is a completely different bunch of girls, there are six from the senior squad, a few from the Under 20s and more than 10 girls I have never met before.
We have been thrown together, to train together and play together. It is refreshing, you get the same girls week in week out in the Wales squad for regular games and it is refreshing to have new ideas, a new way of playing, tactics and coaches.
It is not the same standard as internationals, but it is not as low standard as club games, so it is step in between which gives the new girls, the Under 20s, a chance to be seen, a chance to prove to the watching national coaches what they can do and some could make the squad next year or even for the World Cup. It makes it more competitive.
South Africa, one of the sides we will face in our World Cup pool, have enjoyed two victories over Kazakhstan this month in Dubai. I went out to South Africa the summer before last with the Nomads, the equivalent of the Barbarians and we played two tests as curtain raisers to the Tri Nations.
We played in big stadiums - I have played for Wales for years and years and have never played in our national stadium. These girls were new to the game and already playing in big stadiums before games against New Zealand or Australia. They had some super players then and you could see how good they could be in time and they have certainly improved.
They played in the Nations Cup in Canada last year and drew with France, so we knew how much they have improved given that result. They have a lot of funding from the South African Rugby Union, they are big, fit, strong girls and it is no surprise they beat Kazakhstan.
When you look at our pool people say New Zealand and Australia are our big threats, but I can assure you we have been taking South Africa just as seriously. I have played against them and you can't underestimate South Africa. That is why our pool is so difficult, they are ranked 12th based on their showing at the last World Cup, they would be higher if seedings were done now.
One thing they will not have is as much experience as us. Australia are a physical and technically good side, but they don't have experience of as many matches as we do. I think there are going to be a few teams causing some upsets. Look at Australia, they don't play many games but they play Sevens so they will be very fit and very fast so we have to use our experience to our advantage. There will be no easy games at the World Cup.
Wrestling: My new challenge
I'm still totally focused on our World Cup preparations, but I've also set myself a target of qualifying for this year's Commonwealth Games in Delhi in Olympic freestyle wrestling, which is now part of the programme for women there and also at the 2012 Olympic Games.
Lots more women are taking up wrestling because it's in the Commonwealth and Olympic Games for the first time. It might sound like a big jump for me, but it's not as I have been doing judo since I was 10 or 11 years old and judo and wrestling are very similar sports, they have the same techniques to throw and pull down.
I have won two silver medals in judo at the Commonwealth Games and in Manchester back in 2002 I created history by competing in two different sports at the same Games, judo and weightlifting.
My old judo coach Alan Jones, who was my coach for my previous Commonwealth Games, set up the Welsh Wrestling Association and is the Welsh wrestling coach. He rang me asking if I wanted to come down to training, I waited till the end of the Six Nations as I didn't really have time before then.
I have been training every week and two weekends ago I had my first competition, the Welsh Closed Championships and I won my class, the Under 59kgs. I won gold at the Irish Open last weekend and next is the English Open at the NEC in Birmingham in May.
I have to win medals in all three to compete at Delhi. I'm two thirds of the way there, I just now need to finish in the top four in Birmingham to qualify for another Commonwealth Games in what will be my third different sport.
I have been able to make the transition so quickly because of all my experience, I have got 20 years of fighting behind me, a lot of people who take it up haven't got my experience of judo, it is not a totally new sport.
Hardest sport ever
They are very similar technically, so it is not as if I went into it blind. It is just an extension of judo for me. I have those silver medals in judo and I was Welsh champion for 10 years and also British champion.
The Commonwealth Games was at the back of my mind when I started. I wouldn't go down just for fun because it is not a sport you do for fun. It is probably the hardest sport I have ever done, it drains every single ounce of energy, every muscle is strained.
The first competition I was so out of breath that I had a really bad cough because I was breathing so heavily. I consider myself pretty fit but I was struggling. My second tournament was better because I was able to control my opponents more. It totally drains you though, it is pain I have never experienced before.
All of the four sports I've done complement each other. Weightlifting is part of your training anyway, I could lift heavy weights for my body size so I thought I might as well compete.
I did judo from a very young age and when I took up rugby I was used to the physical side of it and if more girls took up wrestling it would make a massive difference on the field. It makes you aware of your body and position on the floor.
There is so much competition around the contact area in rugby, in rucks and mauls, being strong and physical really helps you play Rugby and in France and New Zealand and also in Rugby League there is a lot of wrestling and judo training.
The difference with rugby is you run at someone as fast as you can who is running as fast as they can to try and tackle you. In wrestling, the job is to haul your opponent down, try and wrestle them to the floor, you get points for throwing them on the floor and to win outright you have to pin both shoulder blades on the floor. It is very physical.
Olympic Games on horizon?
It is hard fitting it in with running, sprinting and Rugby skills training, but saying that a wrestling training session is harder than any two-hour session I have ever done, even if you are not competing. I am still focused 100 percent on rugby, it is just an extra challenge. I've always competed in other sports, that is just the way I am.
The biggest difference between wrestling and rugby is that it's a completely individual sport, if you win it is down to you and if you lose it is down to you. Rugby is a team-orientated sport, it is team tactics and really focused on team, you can't win in rugby on your own.
Wrestling is all down to you. It has been really nice not to have that pressure being part of a team and letting your teammates down by missing a kick at goal or dropping a ball. It is all down to you, so that has been a nice break from the norm.
A lot of my Welsh teammates don't know yet, we haven't had any Welsh training since the Six Nations. Our first session is at the end of May. At least this time the World Cup and Commonwealth Games don't conflict, in 2002 I actually missed the World Cup because it clashed, I chose to go to the Games because I may not have ever had that opportunity again to compete in two sports.
When finish playing Rugby might take it up even more seriously. The Olympic Games are the pinnacle for anyone in sport and I would love to experience that, but 2012 is a long way off at the moment.
Next week we catch up with Canada wing Julianne Zussman to get the lowdown on the squad's recent training camp.
