It is a friendship which began when a 15-year-old Norkett joined Powell-Hughes at Neath Athletic, and only two years later the clubmates were playing side by side at the 2014 Rugby World Cup in France.
“Elli was the youngest in the squad, and I’d been the youngest at the previous tournament, so the management decided to room us together,” she recalls fondly. “They wanted me to take her under my wing, but I think they regretted it in the end because we were just crazy. I spent three amazing weeks with her.”
Powell-Hughes is the first to acknowledge that no amount of tributes will do justice to how colourful a character her friend was – “how she was, who she was, words will never describe her” – but in remembering Norkett she offers a glimpse.
“There aren’t many people like Elli in the world. She had an infectious personality. She was a unique and irreplaceable character that could light up any room she walked into with just her smile,” she says, calling it a “smile which made you smile”.
Norkett was studying for a degree at Cardiff Met, and the pain of her loss amongst teammates there has been felt just as much as with those she played alongside at Ospreys, Swansea and Wales.
“She had so much time and love for everyone, and that has clearly passed through from her family. The Norketts are a loving, special family who will always be part of our lives, and that just sums up how tight a nation we are and what rugby does for us all.”
The rugby family is one that keeps growing, she believes. “That’s what I love about the sport: it brings people like Elli into our lives, and I’m so grateful for that. She was an absolute worldie.”
The impact on the Wales Women team, many of whom have played with or against Norkett for several years, has been strong.
“The heartache we are all sharing together at the moment is making us tighter,” says the 25-year-old teaching assistant, who has been absent from the last two Women’s Six Nations games through injury. “I really want us to make an impact for Elli in our last two games. She’ll always be that 16th person on the pitch with me, and will forever be cherished in our hearts with all the crazy memories that we shared.”
Wales Women will take to the field again next Saturday morning at the BT Sport Cardiff Arms Park, when they will be looking to bounce back against Ireland after two straight losses. Despite those results, Powell-Hughes praises the positivity of the team’s supporters: “It sums them up. Regardless of previous results, our fans have always got our back and that’s just what rugby’s all about.”
In closing, Powell-Hughes adds: “We’re going to try and make our friend proud.”
