Eight from new girls’ rugby academy selected for Wales U18s
Cara Mercier, Leah Stewart and Saran Griffiths are among those called up, while Osian Llewelyn Woodward is in the U18 boys’ squad
Eight members of Grŵp Llandrillo Menai’s new girls’ rugby academy have been selected for a Wales under-18 training camp this weekend.
Coleg Llandrillo student Cara Mercier has been called up, along with Coleg Menai learners Leah Stewart and Saran Griffiths.
Also selected are Efa Parry, Saran Jones, Mali Thomas, Lucy Powell and Izzy Jones, who play for the academy while studying at local schools.
Also heading to the training camp, at the Vale Resort in Hensol, near Cardiff, is Coleg Llandrillo student and rugby academy member Osian Llewelyn Woodward, who has been selected for the Wales U18 boys’ squad.
All nine students will have a chance to stake their claim for capped internationals in the spring, including the U18 Six Nations festivals.
The Grŵp’s girls’ academy was established at Coleg Llandrillo this summer to create a pathway for students to progress to playing for Rygbi Gogledd Cymru (RGC) and potentially for Wales under-18s.
Like the boys’ academy, they compete in the Welsh Schools and Colleges National Conference - the highest level outside of regional rugby for the 16-18 age group.
To have so many students selected for the training camp is a vindication of the work being done by the Grŵp’s academies and at the Player Development Centre (PDC) at Eirias Park.
Lucy Brown, assistant coach of the girls’ rugby academy and the Welsh Rugby Union’s player development centre lead for North Wales, said: “There are 10 girls selected overall from PDC North, with quite a few others just missing out this time around.
“Eight of those players have all been involved with the college programme that we’ve established this year - clearly a positive addition to the pathway in North Wales for girls’ rugby.
“Having watched games across the region, the college games are bridging the gap to allow the girls to perform against other players who are also in consideration for Wales U18s, giving them a great opportunity to put their hands up for this development camp.
“Some of the players selected were involved for Wales U18s in the summer series and Six Nations last season, but we’ve got some new players selected as well, so it shows how key the college programme and the PDC are for their success.”
Andrew Williams, Coleg Llandrillo’s Rugby Academy Coordinator, said of Osian’s call-up: “It's a reward for the continuing hard work he’s put in over the past 18 months. It’s a stepping stone for him with the ultimate aim of being capped in the games in March and April.
“He’s ticking all the boxes, and it’s another positive step on the path of hopefully gaining international honours before the end of the academic year.”
To learn more about Coleg Llandrillo’s Rugby Academy, click here.