Kayleigh Powell
| Date of birth | 18 February 1999[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Place of birth | Church Village[2] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.57 m (5 ft 2 in)[3] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 69 kg (152 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Kayleigh Powell (born 18 February 1999) is a Welsh rugby union player who plays full-back for the Wales women's national rugby union team, Team GB and Bristol Bears. She made her debut for the Wales national squad in 2019.
Early life
Powell played football and cricket as well as rugby, whilst growing up at Llantrisant Primary School in Llantrisant.[4][5] She played for Llantrisant rugby club between eight and twelve years old and later joined Pencoed. She played scrum-half until U18 level. She played cricket for Glamorgan at U12 level and up until 15 years-old played football for Mid Glamorgan.[6]
Career
She first played for Wales women's national rugby sevens team, representing Wales in the World Rugby Sevens Series and at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, before making her Wales women's national rugby union team 15-a-side debut against Ireland in November 2019.[5]
Powell played club rugby for Ospreys Rugby in her home country of Wales. She joined Bristol Bears Women in June 2020.[7] However, she missed the majority of 2021 with injury.[8][9] She signed a semi-professional contract with Wales in January 2022.[10]
In July 2022, she signed a full time contract with Welsh Rugby. She played at full-back for Wales at the delayed 2021 Rugby World Cup in October 2022.[4]
She left the full-time Welsh Rugby 15s programme in November 20222 to join up with the Great Britain women's national rugby sevens team that was striving to qualify for the Paris Olympics.[9][11] In August 2023, she agreed a hybrid contract with Team GB and Welsh Rugby.[12]
She played for the Welsh 15s at the 2024 Women's Six Nations Championship.[13][14]
In June 2024, she was named as a reserve for the British squad at the 2024 Olympic Games.[15] During the tournament she was drafted in as a replacement for the injured Grace Crompton as the team finished seventh.[16]
References
- ^ "Kayleigh Powell". Ultimate Rugby. Retrieved 19 June 2024.
- ^ "Kayleigh Powell". wru.wales. Retrieved 19 June 2024.
- ^ "Kayleigh Powell". tntsports. Retrieved 19 June 2024.
- ^ a b "Kayleigh Powell . . . The Kicker Who Has Gone The Extra Myler For World Cup Lift Off With Wales". Dai Sport. 7 October 2022. Retrieved 19 June 2024.
- ^ a b "Kayleigh Powell starts her fourth TikTok Women's Six Nations match this evening". Wru.wales. 22 April 2022. Retrieved 19 June 2024.
- ^ Mockford, Sarah (4 May 2020). "Hotshot: Wales full-back Kayleigh Powell". Rugby World. Retrieved 19 June 2024.
- ^ "Wales' Kayleigh Powell joins the Bears Women ranks". Bristol Bears Rugby. 30 June 2020. Retrieved 19 June 2024.
- ^ "Kayleigh Powell: 'Full-time Wales contract a dream come true'". Bristol Bears Rugby. 22 July 2022. Retrieved 19 June 2024.
- ^ a b "FORMER OSPREY KAYLEIGH POWELL CALLED UP TO TEAM GB AHEAD OF SEVENS WORLD SERIES". Ospreysrugby. 16 November 2023. Retrieved 19 June 2024.
- ^ "Kayleigh Powell and Sisilia Tuipulotu sign semi-professional contracts". BBC Sport. 19 January 2022. Retrieved 19 June 2024.
- ^ "Wales' Jasmine Joyce and Kayleigh Powell join GB Rugby Sevens for World Series". BBC Sport. 18 November 2022. Retrieved 19 June 2024.
- ^ "Joyce returns as Wales announce more pro deals". BBC Sport. 19 August 2023. Retrieved 19 June 2024.
- ^ Coleman-Phillips, Ceri (20 April 2024). "Women's Six Nations: Underdogs Wales 'ready to rip into France' - Kayleigh Powell". BBC Sport. Retrieved 19 June 2024.
- ^ Graham, Josh (25 April 2024). "Wales Women's Six Nations Squad – Neumann in on the wing". Rugby World. Retrieved 19 June 2024.
- ^ Southcombe, Matt (19 June 2024). "Welsh speedster Jasmine Joyce makes history with Team GB Paris Olympics call-up". ITV.com. Retrieved 19 June 2024.
- ^ "GB Sevens finish seventh as Powell becomes an Olympian". BBC Sport. Retrieved 31 July 2024.