Wales lose Kayleigh Powell for WXV tournament

Wales faced a significant injury setback before their WXV Global Series campaign with Kayleigh Powell of Harlequins ruled out for the entire tournament. The 27-year-old, who was a standout full-back during the Six Nations, suffered a hamstring injury during training. Powell had previously excelled at fly-half when Wales ended a nine-match losing streak against the Barbarians in June. She expressed her disappointment on social media, stating she was "absolutely gutted" to miss the campaign but had "every faith that this team will do great things."

Wales is set to open their WXV campaign against South Africa at Cardiff Arms Park on Friday, 18 September, at 19:15 BST, followed by a match against the USA at the same venue eight days later. The squad also plans to travel to Japan for two Tests on 23 and 31 October.

Wales head coach Sean Lynn acknowledged Powell's contributions, mentioning that she brought another dimension to their attack in the previous matches. "It’s a big loss," Lynn said, "but it’s a big opportunity for individuals who’ve been training hard this pre-season to step up."

Lleucu George is expected to fill in at fly-half, while scrum-half Keira Bevan is another option after training at that position. Lynn expressed his admiration for Bevan’s performance while playing for Bristol Bears against Gloucester-Hartpury towards the end of the season, suggesting she provides additional strategies for their attack.

The injury list for Lynn’s squad has worsened, with other players like Premiership Women’s Rugby (PRW) title-winning prop Donna Rose and uncapped centres Kelsie Webster and Hanna Tudor also unavailable. Lynn noted that the growing injuries reflect the intensity of their training, stating that they aim to improve from their world ranking of 13th and to get more competitive by enhancing their squad’s depth.

Carys Cox and Nel Metcalfe returned to training but were not expected to be ready for the opening match. Lynn expressed optimism for Cox’s potential to be ready for the game against the USA. "Fingers crossed, and with all boxes ticked, we might see her come off the bench and get some minutes," he said. For Metcalfe, Lynn indicated they would assess her potential for the upcoming tour to Japan.