“It’s been really exciting for me this campaign. With Amy Evans retiring I’ve had an opportunity to have a bit more gametime and I’ve really been trying to establish myself as a starting player.
“My game’s benefitted from that, I’ve been working hard on my scrummaging and hopefully that’s helping the team.”
Cerys has been helped by coaches, former Wales prop and backrow Chris Horsman and Geraint Lewis.
“We’ve been doing some interesting scrum work with ‘Hors’, developing different aspects of our game and also a lot of repetition on basic profiling which has helped me a lot.
“I’ve also learned a lot from Geraint Lewis in terms of the line-out and what I can do to support the team so it’s all been positive in terms of my development as a player.”
Hale, who started playing rugby after nagging her dad to set up a girls’ team at Newport High School Old Boys, hopes the hard work the whole squad has put in will pay dividends.
“We’ve all been working hard on our fitness and other aspects of our performance. We’re all buying into that and hopefully it will pay off in the end. We’ve been to some tough places during training and hopefully that will help when it comes to matches especially as we approach the Rugby World Cup.”
Maths teacher Cerys is now working in Caerphilly having switched from a school in Herefordshire and believes that has given better balance in her busy life.
“I’ve definitely seen an improvement in my work-rugby-life balance. I don’t have to travel so far and it’s nice to work locally as there’s more of a buzz about Welsh rugby in work too.
“I work for ACT Schools at their Caerphilly centre. Pupils are from different backgrounds and many of them struggled in a mainstream school so we have smaller classes which helps us build relationships with the pupils to help them achieve.
“Playing for Wales is having a good impact on my relationship with the pupils. They now see me as someone who represents the country. When I first started there, they were quite quiet but now they’re talking about watching us on the telly, some of them have got into rugby and hopefully they can see that if they put their mind to something, they can achieve at it.”
Hale hasn’t forgotten the support she got from her first club Newport High School Old Boys, especially in a time of need for the club.
“It’s been devastating to see the whole pitch and clubhouse under water but there’s been a good response from the community and local clubs too who have given lots of help.
“It’s times like this that you really appreciate the value of a rugby family, not just the people on the pitch but the whole community.”
Cerys starts for Wales Women in their Round 3 Women’s Six Nations match against France on Sunday (Cardiff Arms Park, 12noon). Go to wru.wales/waleswomen for tickets which includes a print at home or phone option, purchase from Cardiff Blues ticket office on the day or watch live on S4C.
