The Springboks are the first of an exciting trio of November visitors, with Hong Kong (Friday 16th) and Canada (Saturday 24th) to follow. A significant proportion of Rowland Phillips’s squad are uncapped, meaning there are several places up for grabs over the coming month.
“There are lot of new girls in the squad, but I’d say there’s a good balance of youth and experience,” says the 21-year-old. “All the new girls are willing to learn as well, and that only adds to the positive feelings in camp.
“The biggest thing for us is that these are capped matches, which provides an added motivation in training. We know we’re in for a really tough Test match a week Saturday. South Africa have some big players, but we need to start well in order to head into the next two matches on a positive.”
Bevan and her regional teammates arrived in national camp on a high, after going unbeaten with Ospreys over the course of four games. It was a clean sweep built on a foundation of hard work, she says. “We went through our toughest pre-season yet, really working on core skills, knuckling down on catch-pass, contact area, and absolutely smashing fitness. It was savage.”
She welcomes being back on her feet and getting stuck in, since a year ago a severe leg injury suffered during the autumn fixture against the UK Armed Forces put her out of action for four months.
“I had two spiral fractures of my fibula,” says Bevan, before going into exact detail about the nature of the injury that’s best not reported here. The rehabilitation was intense. “I didn’t know off-feet sessions could be so hard. I was only in a boot for about a week because the physios wanted me to walk as quickly as possible: it was like trying to learn to walk again, with no movement or flexibility in the foot.”
Fortunately, Bevan has always thrown herself into physical training with enthusiasm. That helps when you’re looking to establish your own personal training business out of a gym in your garage. Many of the Wales players have to rely on the generosity of their employers to make training sessions. Quite simply, Bevan is making work work for her.
“I got my PT Level 3 when I was in college and didn’t really use it after that. Then I started working in a gym in Bridgend over the summer, but it wasn’t flexible with my rugby commitments, so then I had the idea of working from my home in Pontarddulais and owning my own gym.”
No need for flashy titles, the business is simply called The Garage, replete with all the equipment needed for Bevan to get her clients into peak fitness. “It’s a slow process, and I’m not expecting to be a millionaire overnight, but I’m really enjoying it.”
Wales Women’s Autumn Fixtures – Cardiff Arms Park:
Saturday 10th November – Wales v South Africa (11:30)
Friday 16th November – Wales v Hong Kong (19:00)
Saturday 24th November – Wales v Canada (11:30)
