Twenty-five Wales Women rugby players have been awarded full-time professional contracts by the Welsh Rugby Union for 2023.
It is more than double the number of the historic first 12 full-time contracts which were handed out 14 months ago in January 2022. A dozen players initially went pro, along with a number of players on semi-pro deals, while a total of 29 players were full-time for the latter half of 2022 to prepare for the Rugby World Cup in New Zealand, where Wales exited at the quarter-final stages after losing to eventual winners New Zealand.
Wales head coach Ioan Cunningham, who is on board through to the 2025 World Cup, will now have a full-time squad of 25 to work with ahead of the upcoming TikTok Women's Six Nations, with Wales opening their campaign against Ireland at Cardiff Arms Park on March 25.
