At the end of February she suffered a very serious injury to her arm four minutes into the Premier15s game at Bristol Bears that cost her any chance of playing in the TikTok Six Nations.
Her next goal was to get back in time to help table-topping Saracens in the play-offs. She had 12 weeks to get back to full fitness, but just missed out on the semi-finals.
But such was the faith that head coach Alex Austerberry had in her ability that he had no qualms about selecting her to join fellow Welsh internationals Kat Evans and Dona Rose on his bench for the final against Exeter Chiefs. She got 13 minutes on the field as the ‘Women in Black’ earned their third title in four years with a 43-21 victory.
Now she is ‘down under’ and looking to force her way into the reckoning for Wales’ opening World Cup game against Scotland at the Semenoff Stadium, in Whangarei, on 9 October.
“We know we’ve got three group games to play, but Scotland is the game we are all focusing on. Being our close foes, and a team we’ve just played in the Six Nations, we know what to expect from them,” said Evans.
“It’s a game that could determine whether or not we reach the knock-out stages. They have just gone professional as well and they have some key players in their ranks that we will have to look out for.
“We need to get our key details and execute our attack game aswell as our defence.”
With 12 caps under her belt to date, and a six-month WRU contract to take her through the tournament in New Zealand, she is loving the chance to dedicate all her efforts on making her World Cup debut.
“I’m lost for words, for once, about going to the World Cup. I’m really excited at the way the squad is building. We’ve all been working so hard towards this goal and to finally see our names in the squad for New Zealand was very special,” she added.
“I feared I wouldn’t be able to make it when I had the injury at Bristol. The first thing that went through my head was ‘oh no, it’s a World Cup year’.
“The main thing for me was to get back to full fitness and to ensure I could get back up to my standard of play to try to make a difference in the team in New Zealand. It was a scare, but the World Cup was the reason I worked so hard to get back and it has all been worth it.
“Getting back for the Premier15s final was something I never thought was going to happen. It was such a quick turn-around, but the goal now is to help Wales finish as high as we can and play our best rugby in New Zealand.”
While she is a first-team regular at a club that has 18 players going to the World Cup with five different nations, Evans realises she has a fight on her hands to break back into the Welsh pack. Versatile enough to play in the second row and back row, she was on the bench for the warm-up game in Canada last month.
“Coming back into the game was tough. The girls had such a great Six Nations it was hard to try to force my way back into a strong squad,” said Evans.
“With a lot of the girls turning professional I had to adapt some things. I had to make sure my form was up to scratch so that when I get a chance in this pack, I can make a difference.
“With the contract I’ve been given, and I’m very grateful for, I’ve had time to work with those around me to try to get back up to speed with what is required.”
Georgia Evans with pink bow
A commanding presence on the field, the 25-year-old is also very distinctive. She always plays with a different coloured bow in her hair and is planning on carrying on with the trend at the World Cup.
“I’ve had to limit the number because of restrictions on our luggage. I’ve got my own little suitcase for my bows and I’m taking a variety of colours with me – about 20 of them,” she explained.
