Edwards named as Wales captain

The 30-year-old tighthead prop replaces Mellissa Berry who retired from international rugby at the conclusion of last year’s World Cup in Guildford.

Edwards, capped 38 times for Wales, has firmly established herself as one of the top front rowers in world rugby since making her international debut against Spain in 2004.

Dynamic in the loose and fiercely strong in the set piece, Edwards normally lets her actions speak louder than words. However she is no stranger to captaincy as she guided the Scarlets to glory last season when leading the region to the inaugural Women’s Regional championship.

“I might be considered one of the quieter members in the squad,” admitted Edwards. “It’s a massive shock to be asked to lead your country. I’m honoured just to be part of the squad but the more I think about it the more I’m getting excited about the challenge ahead.”

Wales finished rock bottom of the championship last season and despite several senior players either quitting top flight rugby or taking a break from the game, Edwards is confident Wales can pose a few problems this campaign, which kicks off against arch enemy England at Cross Keys’ Pandy Park on Sunday 6 February.

” lot of sides have lost players after the World Cup, so we are not the only ones in that position,” she said. “We got the likes of Lowri Harries, Adi Taviner and Sioned Harries who went to the World Cup as uncapped players. They would have learned a lot from that experience. We’ve also got a few players from the Wales Under 20 side which beat England last year and the young ones have impressed me in this season’s regional games. So despite being relatively light on experience I think as long as we concentrate on our performance, we can do well.”

De Scossa said he is eagerly looking forward to the first game against England. “They’ve selected a strong squad and selected a large contingent from the side which played in last year’s World Cup final,” he said.

“It will be a good test to see where we are. I’m really looking forward to taking England on at Cross Keys where I’m sure we’ll be welcomed with open arms,” he added.

Two players named in the squad, second row Rachel Taylor and full back Mared Evans, are currently recovering from long term injuries and have been named with a view to them figuring at a later stage of the tournament.

There are nine uncapped players in the squad with forwards Vicky Owens, Amy Lawrence, Ashley Rowlands, Alex Stokes and Sian Williams joined by backs Yasmin Leung, Kay Rees, Charlie Murray and Kerin Lake.

Wales Women’s Six Nations squad