Our first game of the Women’s Six Nations is against Scotland on Saturday, which will be one of the hardest battles for us. There will be a lot riding on that game as a squad and as individuals but our focus has been more to do with building the culture and creating a good environment. All of us just want to enjoy going to work.
The contract dispute our squad had with Wales Rugby Union last year was tough. In a workplace you want to feel safe and secure in your contract. It was up in the air and there was definitely a lot of stress that went through camp and individual players. We didn’t know what was going on. I was in Great Britain sevens camp when the negotiations began as I was preparing for the Olympics but I had complete faith in the girls who were leading on the contracts. We had a core group of players that were the go-betweens for the squad and the WRU. They did an excellent job, and our contracts are so much better. As a group we were tight‑knit before this happened but something like that brings you closer.
It has definitely been resolved now and with our new coaching staff we are focusing on the Six Nations and the Rugby World Cup in the summer. It has been exciting to see our new Wales head coach, Sean Lynn, come in. The girls from Gloucester-Hartpury, who have just won their third Premiership Women’s Rugby trophy in a row, speak so highly of him.
We haven’t done very well in so many campaigns now. We have had wooden spoons and not thrived in the culture or environment we have had. There isn’t any one individual to blame for that but Lynny has come in and created a culture that is going to be good for us as players. The perfect environment is one where we can express ourselves on the pitch but then also express our personalities. That is huge in the game at the moment, we need to get ourselves out there and he has said a lot about “who you are is who you are”.
I don’t think there is anyone better for the job at the minute. He cares about people and he wants to create a culture in and around the environment to make us better players. Culture is huge for us. The better culture you have, the more everyone enjoys being in each other’s company. We will play better on the pitch if we are able to have honest conversations and enjoy the environment.
Lynny has brought in some fun aspects to camp as well which are engaging and a reminder we play the game for the love of it. We have started to do talent shows. My partner and flanker Alisha Joyce‑Butchers did a triangle recital and played Hit Me Baby One More Time by Britney Spears. It was so funny and ridiculous: this girl has never played a triangle in her life but she now thinks it’s her talent.
Bryonie King re-enacted a sketch from Gavin and Stacey and Natalia John is a science teacher so she did a lesson on space which was really interesting. When I am nominated I am going to solve a Rubik’s Cube. I have done it in just under a minute before but it might take me a little longer in camp.
There is so much to look forward to in this tournament but what stands out the most for me is playing at the Principality Stadium against England in round two. The WRU have already sold 10,000 tickets which is a huge achievement for us. It’s so exciting.
I also cannot wait to see some of the younger girls get their opportunity to show what they can do. The wing Cat Richards, who has been on the sevens series this season, is brilliant and something we definitely need in the back three. She has flair, she has something about her and she is keen to develop and learn.
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Kayleigh Powell played at 10 in the autumn after primarily being used as a full-back. She didn’t get a huge opportunity but the one game she started, she was very good. I’m excited to see her play as a centre this weekend.
In terms of our opposition, there are very few players I am ever nervous to play against but Scotland’s Fran McGhie is one. She is so unpredictable and is one of Scotland’s standout players. Some of the tries she finishes are ridiculous. Hopefully she has an average game against us and then she can fly for the rest of the tournament.
As a squad we also want to win a couple of games. We are targeting Scotland, Italy and Ireland. Regarding France and England, we are very self aware that they are above us at the moment. They introduced professional contracts a couple of years before us and they have some of the best players in the world in their squads. But hopefully we can come away with a good performance against those teams to build confidence heading into the pinnacle of our sport in the Rugby World Cup.