“I played sevens about three years ago, so that’s how I got into the Welsh set-up,” says Kavanagh-Williams, capped 11 times for Wales Women in rugby union. “I’ve been playing 15s these last two years, so to get the call-up for sevens a couple of months ago was unexpected, but really exciting.”
Even for a renowned fitness enthusiast such as Kavanagh-Williams, conditioning for sevens required an increase in intensity. “I’ve been working hard with [S&C coach] James Nolan, who’s been doing a brilliant job with us. Keeping up with the girls who have been sevens-fit for the last 15 months is hard, but I think I’m managing.”
Kavanagh-Williams has been known for her speed since her school days in Ysgol y Moelwyn, Blaenau Ffestiniog. These days, it’s a case of enhancing the gifts she already has. “James has done a lot of power and speed work with us. I recorded my top speed last year, and then broke that going into the Women’s Six Nations this year. It’s all about knuckling down and working towards specific things, but when you’re just as fast as Jaz Joyce it feels good.”
As befits the occasion, playing in the main World Series competition at the Stade Jean-Bouin, Wales will feature in a highly competitive pool with Ireland, England and New Zealand. “It’s a strong pool. We had a brilliant training camp on the weekend doing analysis on all the teams. We’ve benefited from looking at them, then focusing on ourselves and what we do well, and what we can do well against these teams.”
The tournament will also mark the final involvement of head coach Nick Wakley. Kavanagh-Williams says: “It’ll be sad to see Nick go. He’s been with us for two years, and in that time done a really good job with sevens and 15s. I think he has an exciting career ahead of him.”
In a short space of time, the 28-year-old has benefited from some noteworthy rugby experiences, including last year’s Women’s Rugby World Cup in Ireland. “Playing in the World Cup was one of the biggest moments in my rugby career. Now, having the chance to come back into sevens and compete against world-class teams on a leg of the World Series is just amazing. I’m so thankful for the opportunity.”
Closer to home, she’s been delighted to have turned out for RGC Women in their first season – even being named Supporters’ Player of the Year. “We didn’t expect to finish third, but we’re going to keep growing from tiny acorns to oak trees. It’s onto the next year now and we’ll learn again and develop new players and play good rugby.” Appropriately, the team’s hashtag is #fromtinyacorns.
Fellow sevens and RGC representative Afon Bagshaw yesterday referenced the rumours about a race between himself and Kavanagh-Williams. “I knew this was coming!” she says. “I’ve seen people mentioning it on social media. There was an RGC girls’ camp on Thursday, and someone told me that Afon is backing down from the race. I hope not…”
She speaks in glowing terms about life in North Wales, and is refreshingly enthusiastic about her work. “I really enjoy my job working with young children in Gwynedd, seeing them develop in sport and organising competitions. Being able to do that near my home town is incredible. It’s a bonus when you enjoy your job.”
Not that she would say so herself, but in Jess Kavanagh-Williams, the tiny acorns of Gwynedd have a great sporting role model to look up to.
Women’s World Rugby Sevens Series pool games this Friday (live on Sky Sports; updates – World Rugby Sevens Series app): Ireland v Wales, 13:22 (BST); New Zealand v Wales, 15:44; England v Wales, 18:50.
Jess on the fast track to Paris
Sevens was the gateway to full Welsh honours for wing Jess Kavanagh-Williams, and now it’s come full circle as she gets ready for the World Series in Paris this Friday.
