During the autumn internationals the 26-year-old was her physical self against Japan, South Africa, and Canada. But what she didn’t know was her young nephew had been diagnosed with cancer, with her family deciding to break the news to her at the conclusion of Wales’ campaign.
And when Wales run out John will be playing for more than just her country. “I’ve been going through a tough time because I found out my little nephew had cancer,” she said. “He got diagnosed during the autumn internationals, but my family didn’t tell me at time because they didn’t want to worry me. They told me that I had so much to play for, and so much to prove because there was so much riding on the games. So they were like reluctant to tell me like all of the ins and outs of what was going on at the time. It was tough but I kept my head down and just kept going. A big factor for me was to make Morgan and the rest of my family proud.
“Before every game now I write his name on my wrist as a little reminder to keep going, even when it’s tough in a game and I’m absolutely knackered because if he can handle all these rounds of chemotherapy then I can handle 80 minutes of international rugby. “My sister had to fight for the diagnosis at the start because they were just telling her that she was over feeding him. But my sister just knew there was something not right with him so took him to see a private doctor. “That’s when they found the tumour that was 13 centimetres in such a small body. It was quite a rare form of cancer which makes him more susceptible to developing further cancer.
“It’s just about keeping on top of that now. He’s going through a lot of chemo at the moment and will need further surgery to get more cancerous nodules out.”
John’s goal is to make this autumn’s World Cup in New Zealand but is now fully focused on ensuring Wales build on their magnificent opening TikTok Six Nations victory over Ireland when they welcome Scotland to the Arms Park on Saturday afternoon. John has taken a long and arduous road to get to where she is today, and the Bristol Bears star has to pinch herself at how far she’s come. “I started playing rugby in Swansea University, but wasn’t very good,” she said. “So, I joined Bonymaen RFC to see if I could improve. “I also had a trial for the Ospreys but didn’t get in but they gave me some points to work on. They told me I needed to move to a bigger side, so I joined Swansea RFC. I got picked up by the Ospreys, and then Wales.
“I was brought up in a pub. We would always watch rugby, and the Six Nations was huge in our family while my dad was a good rugby player in his day. I only started playing rugby because my sister did, and I wanted to make friends in university.
“I talked to my dad a lot about how I could be better on the field. He’d kind of give me his tips from way back when, and that kind of inspired me then to push a bit further and see how far I could go with it. I always thought the Ospreys would be my top level, and to think of how much further I’ve gone since then has been absolutely crazy. I’ve still got to pinch myself sometimes at how far I’ve come, and what I’ve achieved in the game.
“If I told myself four years ago what I’d be doing now I’d have probably laughed in my face.”
As a hard working second row who grafts away at the coal face John is not one to claim the glory. She insists there is no secret recipe to her success, and that it’s all down to hard work off the field. “It’s my willingness to work hard to do the jobs as a second rower that not everyone is going to see but is going to win us games. I’m quite happy to be one of those people who will set up a try although I’d love to score one.
“I feel I’m a team player, I’m really approachable, and I feel like I make the people around me comfortable. When I first came into the set up, I was terrified of everyone because they all looked a lot better than me. But now I really pride myself on being that person that anyone could talk to.”
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