Wales boss Ioan Cunningham, the discarded Welsh regional coach beasting himself alongside his players

Ioan Cunningham is credited with reinstalling belief in a morale-depleted Wales squad and transforming their environment in just six weeks last autumn.

Wales fly-half Elinor Snowsill's verdict is testament to how much things have changed for the better. "The detail brought in and the way they've treated us... it's just how things should be done," she said. "You have to see it done well for you to realise things in the past have maybe not been done how it should have been."

The former Wales U20s boss took over in the most difficult of times. An independent WRU review had uncovered a myriad of failings in the Union's treatment of the team, and Cunningham's hefty task was to galvanise the squad for their three-game autumn series. Confirmation that at least some players would soon become full-time professionals - a promise touted a number of times in years gone by - helped spur the squad to two wins and entertaining performances. Now, he is tasked with getting the most out of 12 full-time and 12 part-time Wales players, plus non-contracted Women's Six Nations squad players, who have just claimed their first tournament win against Dublin to end a seven-game losing championship streak.

So, what is the key? Being happy and enjoying the moment is pretty high up on the list, it would seem.

"If you’re enjoying it and smiling, I think you learn more," he tells us. "I’m enjoying every day. We encourage the players to enjoy coming in every day. That then leads to expressing themselves, being themselves and that’s what we want - the girls to really enjoy it and show us exactly what they can do."

This mantra will come as no surprise if you take a look at Cunningham's CV. The former Llanelli RFC captain spent nine years with the