Wales captain Metcalfe looks to follow in sister's footsteps
Metcalfe and her teammates have the opportunity to push their cases for full international call-ups when they take on Ireland this afternoon as the competition gets underway in Ystrad Mynach, Caerphilly.
It is the second edition of the U20 tournament, which debuted in Italy last year, and despite suffering three defeats out of three 12 months ago, the Welsh class of 2025 are relishing the chance to showcase what they can do.
'I'm really excited,' said back rower Metcalfe, who attended Hartpury College.
'The girls have had a good few weeks of training, we've had a good team run this morning. We are feeling really confident going into tomorrow.
'We are really positive. The girls have gelled really well today and it's so nice to see everyone from different places coming together to represent Wales.'
Following on from the 2024 Women's Summer Series, 14 players across the six countries went on to achieve senior honours during the 2025 Guinness Women's Six Nations, including Branwen's sister Nel, 20.
And Metcalfe, who is from Llanrwst and started playing rugby aged seven, highlighted the importance of the competition for giving players the opportunity to standout and to use it as a springboard to break into the senior team.
'Our pathway in Wales is definitely working,' she said. 'I have seen it myself personally, my sister is in the senior squad now, and it is really great to see how we've got so many youngsters pushing for places.
'She has always been an inspiration to me. I definitely want to follow in her footsteps if I can.'
With women's rugby going from strength to strength and the game on an upward trajectory, the 2025 Six Nations Women's Summer Series is a big chance for stars of the future to gain vital international experience, graduate along the development pathway, while also inspiring a new generation of rugby fans.
Spread across three dates during July, Wales will also face Scotland on 11 July before rounding off their campaign against Italy six days later.
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Scottish Sun
2 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
I silently battled bulimia and anxiety at height of my career – but arrogance cost me Olympic gold, says Colin Jackson
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Wales Online
2 hours ago
- Wales Online
Today's rugby news as Wales star banned for 'reckless' act and coach denies Andy Farrell accusation
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England beat Argentina By PA Sport Staff England recovered from two first-half sin-bins to down Argentina by a 35-12 score with Test centurion George Ford kicking 15 points. Alex Coles and debutant Seb Atkinson were shown yellow cards by referee Angus Gardner to temporary reduce Steve Borthwick's team to 13 men in La Plata, but after a superb regard defensive action, England were much improved after the break. Tom Roebuck grabbed a first try within two minutes of the restart and added another after Freddie Steward crossed over. Caden Murley concluded the scoring with five minutes left on a night where co-captain Ford showed his class on his 100th appearance for England. All eyes were on Ford initially, but it was scrum-half Ben Spencer who did most of the kicking early on with a number of box kicks as Argentina dominated territory. Infringements were a regular occurrence from England and Coles was first to be sent to the sin-bin for a head-on-head contact with Facundo Isa. 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Daily Record
4 hours ago
- Daily Record
Airdrie boss Rhys McCabe: 7-0 derby win wasn't as important as building fitness
The Diamonds ran riot against their Lowland League neighbours Airdrie boss Rhys McCabe shrugged off a 7-0 Monklands derby win over Albion Rovers and insists the result is irrelevant at this stage of the summer. A sparkling performance from the Diamonds saw them run riot at New Broomfield, with goals from Lewis McGrattan, Sean McGinty, Craig Ross, Chris Mochrie, Cammy Cooper (2) and Dylan MacDonald. But McCabe says coming through another game unscathed – following a 2-1 defeat against Welsh side Penybont last week – was m ore important than defeating their neighbours from the Lowland League. He said: 'At this time of the season the result is irrelevant. 'I was pleased to get boys minutes, to get through the game with no injuries is a big plus, and it was a well worthy exercise, especially in that first half. 'I know [Rovers boss] Sandy Clark really well, and he has a young, energetic side, with a lot of trialist who had a lot to prove, so in terms of the intensity of the game and how it was played I was really pleased. 'We looked to improve on last week, which was our first game back after the summer, after loading the boys' legs, in terms of their fatigue levels, and then building on that again – could we add a bit more quality. 'We knew the fitness has been pretty much drilled into them from pre-season, so I thought there were loads of good things, the young boys came on and kept that freshness really well.' McCabe added: 'The result, for me, is irrelevant, but I was really happy with the performance levels, energy levels, and everything that we had targeted before the game. 'It's probably a good guide for our young boys, to experience what a match tempo is like and how quickly the ball needs to move, as opposed to academy or in training. 'It was a really good exercise for both teams. Albion Rovers' boys will have sen the level we're operating at, and that's something they're trying to strive towards. 'But in terms of the game itself, it never really felt like a pre-season game,. I've played enough of them in my career where it's a bit slow and lethargic, but I think there was great intensity in the game and for both sides it was a worthy exercise.' Airdrie have a bounce game against Premiership side St Mirren on Tuesday, and McCabe said: 'Hopefully that will get the boys a little bit sharper than what they were on Saturday, which was really good, and gradually improve every week.'
