The inaugural season of the Celtic Challenge kicks off this weekend and all involved are buoyed about the programme - including three exciting talents from Dragons Women.
Mike Hill, head coach of the WRU Development XV - the Welsh side taking part in the pilot cross-border competition, has named a diverse and flexible squad of 42 players for the campaign which includes some capped internationals along with Welsh club and international age grade players, along with some players signed to Allianz Premier 15s sides.
Molly Wakely, Molly Reardon and Amy Williams from Dragons are all included in the squad.
The initiative, in partnership with World Rugby, aims to bridge the gap between domestic and international game across the Celtic nations, will see one team from Wales, Ireland and Scotland play each other in home and away matches over the coming month. The intention is that the competition will develop further next season with up to six teams, two from each nation.
World Rugby Director of Women’s Rugby Sally Horrox said, "With World Rugby committed to advancing the competitiveness of the elite women’s game, the international federation is financially supporting the Celtic Challenge Pilot in 2023 and is in productive discussions with the IRFU, SRU and WRU on a long-term vision for the competition."
The WRU Development XV kicks off its matches at Scotstoun on Sunday against the Scottish team – Thistles – before welcoming both the Thistles and the Irish team, the Combined Provinces XV to Cardiff Arms Park on Sunday 29 January and Saturday 11 February respectively before travelling to Belfast for the return fixture against the Irish side.
The squad has been in training throughout the holiday period, at the National Centre of Excellence and at the Gnoll and Hill, who is assisted by WRU Lead Female Age Grade Coach Liza Burgess and Rhys Pritchard is excited by both the talent and the enthusiasm of all involved.
He said, “We’ve been really impressed as coaches and the players have really bought into what we’re trying to do. There has been huge improvement in a short space of time and given the difference in age and experience across the squad, the players have made a real effort to gel and get to know each other. We are working closely with club and University coaches both in Wales and across the border and while more than 60 players have trained with us already, the door is certainly not closed.
“The programme is already paying dividends in terms of talent identification and allowing players to develop within a performance environment. There are certainly a number of girls who could well step up to the next level of rugby from this group. The matches will provide invaluable experience in terms of preparation, travelling as a group and performing against teams from other nations. There will be no pressure on the girls for results at this stage. It’s all about development and asking the players to show us what they can do with a smile on their face. Hopefully then, some good performances will follow, results too but that’s certainly not the key factor this season.”
Celtic Challenge training squad:
Forwards: Katie Carr (Pontyclun Falcons) Rosie Carr (Pontyclun Falcons/Cardiff Met) Chelsea Chesters (Whitland) Abbey Constable (Gloucester Hartpury/Cheltenham Tigers ) Teleri Wyn Davies* (Caernarfon) Danielle Dinapoli (Cheltenham Tigers) Kat Evans* (Saracens) Tara Finnegan (Pontyclun Falcons) Abbie Fleming* (Exeter Chiefs) Chloe Fletcher (Bath Ladies) Melissa Gnojek (Seven Sisters) Dali Hopkins (Ospreys/Greyhounds) Gwennan Hopkins (Hartpury College) Katie Jenkins (Pontyclun Falcons) Erin Jones (RGC/ Nant Conwy) Sara Jones (Pontyclun Falcons) Charlotte Mundy (Pontyclun Falcons) Ffion Owen (Pontyclun Falcons/Cardiff Met) Kira Philpott (Llandaff North) Alaw Pyrs (RGC U18s, Nant Conwy) Jessica Rogers (Ospreys U18s, Cardiff Met) Jenni Scoble (Worcester Warriors) Scarlett Thomas-Thompson (DMP Sharks/Durham University) Molly Wakely (Dragons U18s/Nelson Belles)
Backs: Leanne Burnell (Pontyclun Falcons) Lowri Davies (Seven Sisters/Cheltenham Tigers) Meg Davies (Bristol Bears) Jenna De Vera (Scarlets/Burry Port) Chelsea Jones (Nelson Belles) Caitlin Lewis* (Gloucester-Hartpury) Danai Mugabe (Cardiff Met) Jade Mullen (Harlequins) Anwen Owen (Bristol Bears/Nelson Belles) Molly Philpott (Llandaff North) Molly Reardon (Dragons) Catherine Richards (Cardiff Met) Lauren Smyth* (Bristol Bears) Seren Singleton (Cardiff Met) Niamh Tinman (Pontyclun Falcons) Amelia Tutt (Loughborough Lightening) Amy Williams (Dragons U18s) Chelsea Williams (Nelson Belles) *capped Wales international
WRU Development XV fixtures 2023:
- Sunday 22 January v Thistles, Scotstoun, Glasgow 2.30pm
- Sunday 29 January v Combined Provinces XV Cardiff Arms Park 11am
- Saturday 11 Feb v Thistles Cardiff Arms Park 4.30pm
- Saturday 18 Febuary v Combined Provinces XV Kingspan Stadium, Belfast, 4.30pm
