CELTIC HEARTBEAT. Wales relish the Six Nations

Scrum half Keira Bevan is licking her lips at the prospect of playing in another Six Nations, as she prepares to represent Wales on the European stage.

And her Wales captain Kate Williams and their head coach Sean Lynn are equally pumped for the tournament, as the trio tell The New Women’s Sport Magazine.

If you want to know how vital Keira Bevan is to this Wales team, just listen to her head coach Sean Lynn (below, right): “Keira is the heartbeat on and off the pitch.”

As for Bevan’s international captain, Kate Williams (below, left), she says: “Keira has been class whenever she puts on a Wales jersey. She’s got ice in her veins.”

Seasoned veteran Bevan (28) approaches the Six Nations with optimism, as Wales look to improve on their recent record.  

Bevan began her domestic career in Wales, playing for Ospreys Women in 2014 before joining Bristol Bears in 2013, where she remains to this day.

One of the first players to sign a full-time professional contract with the Welsh Rugby Union in 2022, she has since become an established international leader.

Bevan captained Wales in the 2024 WXV Series against Australia and was later named vice-captain for the Six Nations alongside captain Hannah Jones, with the squad nominated for team of the tournament.

Off the pitch, she has been outspoken on social issues, including mental health, and promoting visibility and participation in rugby for female athletes through campaigns to inspire young girls.

Brain

Bevan’s club rival, Kate Williams plays for Gloucester Hartpury, but is her proud captain for Wales. And she could not be more excited to play alongside ‘Bevan the brain’.

“I think her experience in that nine shirt really helps us direct play around the park.

“She’s got a great rugby brain, can identify space so well and exploit it effectively.

“You’ve seen it before as well – she’s got ice in her veins with those 80-minute kicks. She’s a massive asset to have in our squad.”

The Wales head coach Sean Lynn not only sees Bevan as the national team’s heartbeat, but observes how well she’s been playing this year for her club.

For Wales, he talks about making sure they move the ball up the pitch, “and what Keira is bringing now is that she’s not just getting into the breakdown and getting the ball away; she can clearly that, and it’s coming from her boot as well, which is really pleasing.”

Rawness

Lynn also acknowledges the role Bevan can have with so many young players coming into the Wales squad: “That’s something I want to grow.

“We’ve got two really young, talented nines coming into it: Seren Lockwood and Sian Jones. Keira now has to put her arm around them and just say: you are our future.”

This is a responsibility that captain Kate Williams also feels: “I think it’s a different role this season, having so many young players come through.

“I think we’ve got some brilliant experience in our team as well, that will help direct and nurture these young players coming through.

“The rawness of these young players is what’s so exciting, is that they’re getting experience and confidence playing in the Celtic Challenge [cross-border Rugby Union competition between Ireland, Scotland and Wales], being able to do what they can do and perform as well as they can.

“It’s going to be exciting to see how that translates into a Wales jersey on the biggest stage.”

Williams is happy to mark our card and tell us the other Wales youngsters to look out for.

“Jorja Aionoin the back row. She’s been playing class, especially in the Celtic Challenge.

“We’ve got some brilliant midfield partnerships coming up as well, with players like Savannah Picton Powell and Jenna De Vera.

“It’s exciting to have that strength coming through in the midfield from these younger girls.”

Progress

Keira Bevan made her own international debut off the bench against England in 2015, aged just 17, and has since become a key figure for Wales, most notably scoring a last-minute try against Ireland in the 2020 Six Nations.

She is optimistic about the prospect of Wales improving. “We’re definitely going to progress from where we were last year.

“We won the wooden spoon a few years ago, and it can’t get worse than that, so for us, I think it’s just about going forward now.”

What thrills Bevan, though, is playing at the Principality Stadium. Yes, there will be an expectation and added pressure on Wales, but she says: “I think it will be very exciting. The Principality is an unreal stadium, and it’s always nice to play there.”

And with their home matches at Cardiff Arms Park and the Principality, Bevan reckons this “shows where women’s rugby is going, and for us, it’s great to be Welsh and to play at such iconic stadiums, and we just relish the opportunity.”

Bevan also acknowledges that with the Red Roses close to selling out Twickenham for their opening match against Ireland, it’s a feather in the cap of the women’s game. “It’s brilliant. We’ve seen across the game that it’s definitely going in the right direction, 100%.”

Quality

She’s becoming used to playing in the big stadiums now, though, having had yet another Big Day Out with Bristol Bears in yet another huge venue. “Hopefully, it’ll just become the norm in a few years’ time.

“At the minute, it’s quality for us to be put on such a big stage and show what we’re about, and hopefully we can deliver a performance we’re capable of and give the fans something really exciting to cheer about.

“It’s definitely an experience playing at an international stadium. Even when we play at Ashton Gate, it’s still an amazing opportunity and a great experience.”

There’s clearly a buzz at Bears, with so many of the squad featuring in the Six Nations. As Bevan says: “I think it’s great that so many people are being called up to international camps.

“That brings a bit more knowledge and experience to the group as well, which I think will only benefit us moving forward.”

There’s obviously an optimism around the Wales camp, though Bevan tempers this with realism about what lies ahead in the Six Nations. “We’ve got a really big game in Round One against Scotland, which for us will be a must-win, and we play France and England then.

“So for us, it’s about tying our performances together and seeing where we are when we play Italy and Ireland.”

Momentum

Wales head coach Sean Lynn says he’s looking forward to every single one of the Six Nations matches. “Obviously, we’re really excited to be playing at the Principality Stadium against Scotland, but it’s also about building that momentum going into France, so let’s just focus on the first two first.”

Lynn is just as certain as Bevan that we will see progress in Wales’ performances across the tournament. “If you look at it, in the first six months of my role, I had a Six Nations, a tour of Australia and a World Cup, which was big.

“But this is where I’ve really been able to connect with the players at club level. We had two alignment camps in January and February, and I’m hoping we’re in a much better place going into this tournament.”

Unreal

Finally, Wales captain Kate Williams (above, left and right) beams as she talks of her pride in not just captaining her nation, but most especially wearing the iconic red shirt:

“Every single time I put on the Welsh jersey, it’s an incredibly proud moment for myself and my family.

“It’s really exciting and so special to be Welsh and to be able to pull on the red jersey, and to do it at the Principality, which is the home of Welsh rugby, with all the fans singing the anthem.

“Those are the moments you don’t believe happen. It’s unreal.”

Photos: Six Nations Rugby, Helen M Jerome

Wales v Scotland. Saturday 11 April, 16:40 BST, Principality Stadium, Cardiff. Watch live on BBC and S4C.

Match tickets: https://www.eticketing.co.uk/principalitystadium/EDP/Event/Index/1466