The 20-year-old former goalkeeper fell in love with rugby five years ago and made her international debut in November 2018, quickly becoming one of the first names on the international team sheet.
Crabb grew up in Ynystawe, near Swansea and attended Morriston Comprehensive. Her rugby career took off within the Ospreys U15 and U18 girls’ set-up, before moving to Cardiff Met, where she is currently studying for a degree in strength and conditioning, rehab and massage.
The Ospreys and Worcester player said: “I was a goalkeeper in football from about four years old until I was around 15 but as soon as I started playing rugby at about 15, it was a no-brainer. I really enjoyed the family atmosphere and ethos in rugby. And I can’t lie – I really enjoyed the physical contact, too.
“As a goalkeeper, the handling skills transferred really nicely across to rugby – spatial awareness and things like that. The line-out quickly became my thing as well.”
Crabb is determined to make a mark in this Women’s Six Nations tournament, which kicks off with a home clash against Italy on Sunday 2 February. Wales play all three home games in the Cardiff ground as they look to build on an encouraging autumn series.
She said, “There is nothing quite like the Six Nations tournament and Cardiff Arms Park is a really good home for us. As players, we’ve got each other’s backs and we’ve always got something extra to give for each other. Our aim is to produce a brand of rugby that is really exciting to watch and to inspire the younger generation to take up rugby too.
“We made really good progress in the autumn and we are determined to step up another gear in this campaign. We will be testing ourselves against some of the best players and teams in the world game, that can only be a good thing for our development as a squad.”
Gwen’s multi-sport background shows that the skills picked up in one sport as a youngster can benefit another.
“With football, I didn’t think I was actually going anywhere but in rugby people quickly complimented the way I was playing. I felt this was what I wanted to do. My dad was also a goalkeeper, but now he just enjoys watching me play rugby. A few of the girls I played football with have gone on to get into the Wales senior squad, which is good to see, but I know I made the right choice.”
Watch Wales Women in the Six Nations. Go to wru.wales/waleswomen for tickets including a 342 offer.
Wales Women Six Nations squad 2020:
Forwards:
Alisha Butchers, Alex Callender, Gwen Crabb, Georgia Evans, Abbie Fleming, Cerys Hale, Lleucu George, Cara Hope, Natalia John, Manon Johnes, Kelsey Jones, Molly Kelly, Sarah Lawrence, Bethan Lewis, Ruth Lewis, Siwan Lillicrap, Robyn Lock, Gwenllian Pyrs
Backs:
Keira Bevan, Hannah Bluck, Hannah Jones, Jasmine Joyce, Courtney Keight, Kerin Lake, Caitlin Lewis, Ffion Lewis, Lisa Neumann, Kayleigh Powell, Paige Randall, Lauren Smyth, Elinor Snowsill, Niamh Terry, Megan Webb, Robyn Wilkins
