Wales captain Metcalfe looks to follow in sister's footsteps

South Wales Guardian

5 days ago

The 18-year-old is determined to follow the same path as her older sister Nel and reach the senior team – but first she leads her country into the U20 Six Nations Women's Summer Series.
Metcalfe and her teammates have the opportunity to push their cases for full international call-ups when they take on Ireland this afternoon as the competition gets underway in Ystrad Mynach, Caerphilly.
It is the second edition of the U20 tournament, which debuted in Italy last year, and despite suffering three defeats out of three 12 months ago, the Welsh class of 2025 are relishing the chance to showcase what they can do.
'I'm really excited,' said back rower Metcalfe, who attended Hartpury College.
'The girls have had a good few weeks of training, we've had a good team run this morning. We are feeling really confident going into tomorrow.
'We are really positive. The girls have gelled really well today and it's so nice to see everyone from different places coming together to represent Wales.'
Following on from the 2024 Women's Summer Series, 14 players across the six countries went on to achieve senior honours during the 2025 Guinness Women's Six Nations, including Branwen's sister Nel, 20.
And Metcalfe, who is from Llanrwst and started playing rugby aged seven, highlighted the importance of the competition for giving players the opportunity to standout and to use it as a springboard to break into the senior team.
'Our pathway in Wales is definitely working,' she said. 'I have seen it myself personally, my sister is in the senior squad now, and it is really great to see how we've got so many youngsters pushing for places.
'She has always been an inspiration to me. I definitely want to follow in her footsteps if I can.'
With women's rugby going from strength to strength and the game on an upward trajectory, the 2025 Six Nations Women's Summer Series is a big chance for stars of the future to gain vital international experience, graduate along the development pathway, while also inspiring a new generation of rugby fans.
Spread across three dates during July, Wales will also face Scotland on 11 July before rounding off their campaign against Italy six days later.
Discover the future of international rugby at the 2025 Women's Summer Series – where rising stars shine. Follow the action live at sixnationsrugby.com/u6n and on Instagram @u20sixnations.