| Date of birth | 4 September 1997 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Place of birth | Neath Port Talbot, South Wales | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 81 kg (179 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | Llangatwg Comprehensive School | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Occupation(s) | Participation officer, rugby player | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Kelsey Jade Jones (born 1 September 1997) is a Welsh Rugby Union professional player who plays hooker for the Wales women's national rugby union team and Gloucester Hartpury in the Premier 15s.[1]
Rugby career
Club career
Jones began rugby training in 2014, at the age of 16, with Seven Sisters in the Neath Valleys. With no official youth set-up at the club she wasn't able to play her first match until she turned 17. She then helped to create an official youth side, and became the club's first ever girls' youth team captain.[2]
Jones then played for Ospreys U18s and then Ospreys Seniors,[3] before joining Gloucester-Hartpury at the Premier 15s League in 2019.[4]
International career
Jones made her international debut as a substitute against New Zealand in the 2017 Women's Rugby World Cup in Ireland.[2]
In January 2019, she was named in the Wales squad for the 2019 Six Nations Championship, before being called up for the 2020 tournament, and later the 2021 Championship.[4]
Jones has earned 22 caps in her rugby career to date.[2] She was selected in Wales squad for the 2021 Rugby World Cup in New Zealand.[5][6]
Personal life
Jones was born in Neath Port Talbot to parents Jason and Becky Jones. She is the youngest of three daughters.
As a child, Jones attended Llangatwg Comprehensive School, followed by the Llandarcy Academy of Sport.
Jones is passionate about diversity and inclusion in women's rugby. Following a year-long development apprenticeship with WRU, she moved into a hands-on role that saw her coaching women's, girl's, disability and wheelchair games. She then took the role of disability and inclusion officer at the Cardiff Blues Community Foundation,[7] which covers 76 community clubs, 61 secondary schools and 320 primary schools in South Wales.
Jones now works for Gloucester Rugby as lead participation officer, working with secondary schools to encourage wider participation in rugby among minority and disadvantaged communities.[8] Alongside this role, she also spends time in schools and colleges promoting wheelchair rugby.
References
- ↑ Shepard, Kit (2022-10-09). "Wales Women's Rugby World Cup Squad 2022 – Wales 18-15 Scotland". Rugby World. Retrieved 2022-10-10.
- 1 2 3 "Kelsey Jones". Welsh Rugby Union | Wales & Regions. Retrieved 2021-05-04.
- ↑ "9 Ospreys Women in action | Ospreys". www.ospreysrugby.com. Retrieved 2021-05-04.
- 1 2 "Kelsey Jones". www.ultimaterugby.com. Retrieved 2021-05-04.
- ↑ Jones, Liz (2022-09-21). "Wales Rugby World Cup squad named". Welsh Rugby Union. Retrieved 2022-09-22.
- ↑ "Wales: Siwan Lillicrap captains 32-player Rugby World Cup squad featuring 19 tournament debutants". Sky Sports. 2022-09-21. Retrieved 2022-10-10.
- ↑ www.uprisevsi.co.uk, upriseVSI. "About Us | Cardiff Blues". upriseVSI. Retrieved 2021-05-04.
- ↑ "Foundation". Gloucester Rugby. Retrieved 2021-05-04.