Sevens star Lewis set to make senior bow

COLWYN BAY 6pm WALES WOMEN v SCOTLAND WOMEN

BETH Lewis is hoping to turn her talent at sevens into the 15-a-side game when she wins her first cap for Wales Women tonight against Scotland.

The 18-year-old from Carmarthen was a sevens agegrade star last year as she led her country to its first ever Commonwealth Games team medal in the youth version of the competition.

“Winning that bronze and captaining Team Wales in the Bahamas was a huge honour,” she said.

“It was a good year overall in 2017, because we also got to the final of the School Games and the Rugby Europe Sevens in Vichy.”

She’s now hoping to translate that success to senior level in the 2018 Women’s Six Nations.

“There’s a massive step up in intensity when you come into the senior camp for the first time,” she said.

“But the girls make you feel welcome and it’s a really good environment.

“There’s a real buzz around with so much on the horizon for sevens and fifteens.”

Lewis, who represents Scarlets and Gloucester-Hartpury, added: “I would have loved to have been at the Women’s Rugby World Cup in the summer, but to get this opportunity now is great.”

The direction in which the Rowland Phillips-led Wales Women are heading has filled her with enthusiasm.

“It’s really exciting because there are so many of us youngsters – the future is going to be amazing,” she added. “We’re developing our game in a more attacking sense, with an emphasis on skills and ball-handling.”

Openside flanker Lewis is one of four new caps named in Phillips’ side, along with lock Natalia John (Ospreys), scrum-half Jade Knight (Scarlets) and wing Hannah Bluck (Cardiff Blues).

Wales Women: J Evans (Scarlets); H Bluck (Cardiff Blues), H Lake (Ospreys), R De Filippo (Dragons), J Kavanagh-Williams (RGC); R Wilkins (Ospreys), J Knight (Scarlets); J Thomas (Scarlets), C Phillips (c) (Ospreys), A Evans (Ospreys), N John (Ospreys), M Clay (Ospreys), A Butchers (Scarlets), B Lewis (Scarlets), S Lillicrap (Ospreys). Reps: K Jones (Ospreys), G Pyrs (RGC), C Hale (Dragons), T Davies (RGC), N Davies (Scarlets), R Parker (Cardiff Blues), L George (Scarlets), L Neumann (Scarlets).