Veteran Wales back-rower Sioned Harries' actions in the past 48 hours have shown why she is a class act off the rugby pitch as well as on it.
PE teacher Harries, 33, started at the back of the scrum in Wales' 39-14 Women's Six Nations defeat to third in the world France in Grenoble on Sunday. A day later, she was travelling the 800 or so miles back to Wales so she could be at the Principality Stadium in time to cheer on her year seven girls' rugby team from Ysgol Gymraeg Bro Dur in their under-12s final.
Harries’ pupils – some of whom had never picked up a rugby ball until the start of this year – made it all the way to the Principality, somewhere Harries has played twice before in her 73-cap career, with Wales Women usually playing next door at Cardiff Arms Park.
It proved to be a tough fixture for her side, prompting an inspiring half-time team talk, with Lampeter side Ysgol Bro Pedr winning 51-10.
"At half-time I said to them 'you've got nothing to lose now, so go out and play your best possible rugby and show everyone who has come to support you why you deserve to be here'," Harries said in her BBC column. "It was a completely different game in the second half, and although I'm gutted we lost, it was so good to see the transformation of the girls. At the start of the year there were some who had never picked up a rugby ball, now they are playing at the Principality Stadium. I am so proud of their character and tenacity."
As for the opposition, Harries added: "I want to congratulate Ysgol Bro Pedr and when I take my teaching hat off, it was great to see the talent of the future."
Harries, one of the few Welsh internationals in the Six Nations squad not to be contracted, was flying out to Italy on Wednesday to rejoin the Wales squad ahead of their finale against Italy. Ioan Cunningham's Wales need a single match point to secure third place in the table, which would guarantee them a spot in the top tier of a new global women's rugby competition, WXV, starting later this year.
Wales name their side for their Six Nations finale in Parma on Thursday.
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