The WRU has announced seven more contracts for the women’s squad, bringing the total to 32.
That is quite excellent news, showing the authorities’ commitment to continuing their support for the women’s game.
The new names are: Abbey Constable, Bryonie King, Carys Williams-Morris, Courtney Keight,
Hannah Bluck, Kate Williams and Megan Davies.
That total of 32 brings them in line with other nations like England. In theory it means that coaches would have two full teams to compete at training sessions.
Sadly it was already known that neither Courtney Keight nor Kayleigh Powell (contracted in the first tranche) will recover from injury in time for WXV1.
Both Powell and Jasmine Joyce would be available for 15s competitions, thanks to an agreement with GB Sevens (charmingly termed ‘hybrid contracts’).
Megan Davies’ promotion is important, as it follows the unhappy news that Ffion Lewis is suffering from endometriosis; Keira Bevan needs a strong challenger at No 9 to keep her in top form.
This is one more indication of WRU’s determination to make up for the years of neglect it now admits it allowed to affect the team’s performances. For the prying mind the one unknown element is the size of the contracts. All too often we hear stories from around the world of the inadequacies of such payments. Let’s hope the Welsh players won’t have to make the agonising choice between bread and butter and bread and jam.
The full force of the new contracts can’t properly be judged at the WXV; it comes too soon. But with any luck the Welsh will be in a good position to maintain the third place in the 2024 Six nations they have owned for the last two seasons.
