Last farewell to rugby star, her team-mates’ powerful princess
TEAM-MATES linked arms as hundreds of mourners said their final goodbyes to the “powerful princess” and Wales rugby star Elli Norkett.
Her friends, wearing their rugby shirts bearing her initials in gold, carried her pink casket into Margam Crematorium, in Port Talbot.
A floral tribute in the shape of a rugby ball was created in memory of the 20-year-old, who died in a car crash along the A4109 Inter Valley Road between Banwen and Glynneath on February 25.
In a touching tribute, rugby shirts from all the clubs she had played her beloved game for were worn in celebration of her glowing rugby career by her friends and some who had been “run over” by her on the pitch.
She was described as “inspirational”, and mourners heard her personality could “light up the room”.
Her sister, Lowri, who read a tribute to Elli, said: “I love you little one. You were the best sister in the world and I miss you.”
The service started with Tears In Heaven, by Eric Clapton, and mourners heard she had a real passion for music.
But her love of rugby started at a young age.
Her father, Kim, revealed it was not an easy start to her fledgling career – she was the only girl playing in the tag rugby side with the boys at the age of seven. He said she told him: “They won’t pass me the ball,” because she was a girl.
“They were playing Carmarthen Quins and they passed her the ball by mistake and she scored.
“They would shout, ‘Give the ball to Elli.’”
Such was her talent for sport she at one stage rated as one of the top 10 sprinters in Britain and was a world champion hurdler.
Netball, hockey and the high jump were also favourites with the former Llangatwg Community School pupil.
Aged 15, Elli came home and told her dad: “I’m giving up athletics and I’m taking up rugby properly.”
Although he said “no,” his wife, Elli’s mother, Caroline, told her to “find a team in February”.
Three days after making a phone call to Lisa Jones, of the Ospreys under-18s, she was pulling on the shirt for her debut despite her father’s reservations that she did not know how to tackle.
She told her father: “Lisa said I can tackle.”
Mr Norkett said: “The proudest moment of her life was winning her first cap against France and she became the youngest player at the World Cup.”
He revealed Elli and her teammates transformed the room they shared into a “beauty parlour” where they “showed them (other players) how to use fake tan and plaited their hair”.
Following a battle with injury after she pulled her Achilles’ tendon, he said “all she wanted to do was get back playing.”
It emerged during the service how important family life was to her, she was close to both her parents, her sister, with whom she had a “bond”, and also her grandparents.
“She had a true bond with her mamgu (grandmother),” he added.
Mourners heard that she was happy because “she was in love” with her partner, Scott, and they were looking to move in together.
Scott admitted to her family and friends that a friend had joked, “your girlfriend is a better rugby player than you. He was right.”
His remark led to a ripple of laughter.
The service was led by Swansea Rugby chaplain Pete Orphan, who was wearing a rugby shirt to conduct the service, which ended with the World In Union being played, and Elli’s friends and family laid flowers on top of the casket as they left.
He said her team-mates would remember her as “our powerful princess”.