The 'calm' navy officer chosen to steer Wales at Rugby World Cup

BBC News

16 hours ago

Wales' course to the Rugby World Cup has hardly been plain sailing.A wooden spoon, a contracts row, a change of coach and then a Six Nations whitewash have made for pretty choppy waters.So when you're trying to steady the ship, making an ex-navy officer your captain makes perfect sense.Kate Williams wasn't an obvious choice for many when coach Sean Lynn opted to stand centre Hannah Jones down as skipper ahead of next month's tournament in England.But, having been named alongside bubbly backrower Alex Callender to lead the side as co-captains, it was soon easy to see why the former Gloucester-Hartpury coach nodded to a player he oversaw for two years at the PWR champions."Al Cal brings a real energy and excitement to the squad, while Kate brings a selflessness and a quiet calm authority to everything she does," said Lynn. "I've been really impressed with Kate; the mannerisms and the calm strategic approach she has."
Which figures given three years ago she was stood on the bridge of HMNZS Wellington on patrol in the Pacific.Sub-Lieutenant Williams served in the New Zealand navy as a warfare officer, taking the route planned by a navigator and making sure the vessel stuck to course."I think my experience from that is something I've really been able to draw on," says the 25-year-old. "I had a lot of leadership skills and stuff from that, which I'm finding now is kind of crossing over into how I am with the team."Williams spent five years with the navy before changing tack.She only took a year's secondment initially when she decided to give herself the chance of fulfilling her rugby dreams with Wales.She still calls the navy her Plan B, but two PWR titles at the Circus - including a player of the season last term and a try in this year's final win over Saracens - as well as a new contract suggests she might not need it."I think the decision's been justified now," Williams laughs after her elevation to co-captain that will begin with a two-test tour of Australia where Wales will warm up for the World Cup with games against the Wallaroos.Born in Swansea but brought up in New Zealand from the age of four, Williams says 'she grew up Welsh' and was playing rugby from the very start, following in the footsteps of both her mum and dad.There were games for North Harbour in the NPC, for Auckland's Blues in their first ever fixture, and for the Defence Ferns, before Wales were made aware of her ambitions and her eligibility.A phone-call in the barracks from then coach Ioan Cunningham was followed by an invitation to training and then an injury cover call-up for the last World Cup."I didn't think I'd be at the next World Cup when I first came over, let alone having the trust put in me to lead the team with Alex," she says, having won her first cap in the 2023 Six Nations. "I've enjoyed every single second of it. Playing for Wales is a massive honour and was a dream of mine."I gave myself a year and then it turned into two, but it's just really taken off. To get the contract was Wales was massive. It meant I could do the one thing I love."And made the sacrifices worth it, leaving behind friends and family, even partner, behind to follow her Wales course.
They'll be following her progress from afar when Wales kick-off their tournament against Scotland in Salford on 23 August, having often sent messages from far flung corners of the ocean when Williams has been in action.But with fitness having been an area Lynn was keen to work on during a long, hot summer pre-tournament camp, Williams admits she's already been sharing messages with her fellow former officers to compare notes"A few weeks back we were with the Royal Welsh Regiment and, being in the mess at lunchtime, it all felt a case of 'I've been here before!'," she says."I was telling my mates, imagine if you had to go back to basic training and do it all over again!"It was tough and – when you're not doing training in a game environment – you never know when it's going to end so you just had to hold on for some of it, keeping looking at the task ahead, getting through it, digging deep inside you."Williams admits the sand dunes of Merthyr Mawr were particularly tough – pointing to her red hair for extra sympathy in the sun – mauling up and down hills over and again."It was quite funny being in that environment and we took a lot from it as a team," she adds. "It'll benefit us because when we're in some dark moments in a game, you can look to your left, look to your right, and see people who have been through it with you."Being able to transfer skills and experiences is something that Williams has been able to do, with Wales now looking to do the same when they face Australia next Saturday (05.00BST) and onto the World Cup.And hopefully put the choppy waters behind them.