Hers is a remarkable story of success following success, culminating in last year’s elevation into the Welsh team, a debut victory over the World Champions, England, and scooping the title of Army Sportswoman of 2015.
It was all a far cry from a few years earlier when she spent the 2013 Six Nations period acting as a Troop Commander heading up a team of 40 soldiers in Afghanistan. Her six month tour was a success – everyone came back alive – and since returning to Larkhill, where she is a Fire Support Team Commander with 14 Regiment Royal Artillery, her sporting story has gathered real momentum.
Ever since she was little she always had twin ambitions – to join the Army and to excel at sport. So far, so good on both counts.
Although born in Bristol, she was raised in and around Newport and also qualified to play for Wales through her Welsh grandmother. Both her grandfathers served in the forces and she was marked out for a career in the military from a young age and won an Army bursary at 16 that eventually led to her heading to Sandhurst after graduating from Exeter University.
She says she has always been a driven individual – she competed at the British Schools cross-country championships, played football for England Universities and played in the National Schools hockey championships – and she enjoyed her first taste of success as an Irish Dancer.
“I was one of those kids who wanted to have a go at everything and anything. I started on ballet, and didn’t really get on with it, and then I joined a dance class after school,” recalled Rowland.
“I did Irish dancing from seven until I was 12. I became a British champion both individually and in a group and then competed at the World Championships in Belfast.
“It was all a bit of fun to begin with, but then it became more and more serious and competitive and my teacher wanted me to give up all sport to concentrate on dancing. I wasn’t having any of that.”
She hung up her dancing shoes and concentrated on hockey, athletics and, when she was at Colston’s Collegiate School, pestered the teachers to allow her and her friends to play rugby.
“They allowed us to in an after school club to begin with, but after we had won the Rosslyn Park National Schools title two years in a row they established girls rugby as part of the sporting curriculum,” said Rowland, who will be one of Wales’ biggest threats in the championship with her powerful running in the centre.
“Three other members of that team are in the current England squad, Katie Mason, Amber Red and Laura Keates, and Katie and I played against each other on our international debuts when Wales beat England at St Helen’s, Swansea, last year. It was an amazing occasion, especially as our school coach, Ben Berry, a passionate Welshman, was at the game.”
There could well be an Old Girls reunion when England host Wales at the Twickenham Stoop on 12 March. Having taken down the World Champions in her first outing in a Welsh jersey she’d love to do it again.
With three home fixtures, all at The Gnoll, Neath, against Scotland (this Sunday), France and Italy, this year’s campaign is all about qualifying for next year’s World Cup in Dublin. England, Ireland and France have automatically qualified and the top two of the remaining teams over last season and this will join them.
“The win over England last year gave us a huge psychological boost and now we feel we are the team that everyone should look out for. Even though Ireland have done well in recent years, I don’t think one team in the tournament is firmly established as the strongest,” said Rowland.
“Our focus is to develop our skills into a style of rugby that is enjoyable for the fans to watch and for us to enjoy as a team. We want to go out and play with flair and develop a brand of rugby that gets everyone saying ‘Wow’ did you see what the Welsh girls are doing.
“What I’ve learned during my officer training, through leading my team in Afghan and playing team sports is that you have to put your faith not only in your ability, but also in what you’ve learned from your coaches,” she added.
“On patrol in Bastion I put my faith in what I had been taught to keep me and my men safe. Now the Welsh team has to believe in what we are doing and put into practice everything that we have been preparing for.”
