Cerys Hale

Cerys Hale
Date of birth (1993-04-04) 4 April 1993 (age 31)
Place of birthNewport, South Wales
Height1.75 m (5.7 ft)
Weight90.91 kg (14.316 st)
UniversityCardiff Metropolitan
Rugby union career
Position(s) Prop
Current team Gloucester Hartpury
Amateur team(s)
Years Team Apps (Points)
Newport High School Old Boys ()
Senior career
Years Team Apps (Points)
2019-present Gloucester Hartpury
Pontyclun RFC		 ()
International career
Years Team Apps (Points)
2016–present Wales 38
Correct as of 29 April 2021

Cerys Hale (born 4 April 1993) is a Welsh Rugby Union professional player who plays prop for the Wales women's national rugby union team and Gloucester Hartpury. She made her debut for Wales in 2016 and represented them at the 2021 Women's Six Nations Championship.

Club career

Hale started playing rugby at the age of 11 with the Newport High School Old Boys, remaining with the club until she was 18.[1] During this time she also played for WRU regional team, the Dragons.[2]

Between 2016 and 2018 Hale played prop for Pontyclun RFC,[3] before moving to her current club, Gloucester Hartpury.[4]

International career

Hale was called up to the Wales women's squad for both the 2014 Women's Rugby World Cup and the 2014 Women's Six Nations Championship, but didn't gain any game time for either. She was the only member of the Wales squad not to gain any game time during the World Cup tournament and was not selected for the 2015 Women's Six Nations Championship.[5]

Missing out on these opportunities pushed Hale to work on her game. In a subsequent WRU interview, she said: "Obviously not getting on in the World Cup and not making [the 2015] Six Nations squad really drove me to work on my skills work and on my conditioning".[5]

After waiting patiently for two years, she gained her first cap during the 2016 Women's Six Nations Championship when she was brought on as a substitute in the match against Ireland. She then made three appearances in the 2017 Women's Rugby World Cup.[5]

Most recently, Hale represented Wales at the 2021 Women's Six Nations Championship, telling the BBC: "I want to not just be the best prop in Wales but to be the best prop in the UK."[6]

Hale has won 38 caps in her career to date.[7] She was selected in Wales squad for the 2021 Rugby World Cup in New Zealand.[8][9]

Personal life

As a child, Hale attended Ysgol Gyfun Gwynllyw, a Welsh-language comprehensive school located in Pontypool in Torfaen, Wales. She then studied at Cardiff Metropolitan University, where she graduated in 2014 with a degree in sports development.[10]

Since 2016 Hale has taught at schools around South Wales, first as a science teacher at Brynmawr Foundation School, and then with supported-education provider, The Priory Group. She is currently a maths tutor with ACT Training, based in Caerphilly. Hale has specifically chosen to work with children experiencing difficulties, commenting in an interview: "I felt in mainstream schools that sometimes the kids lower down the classes can get forgotten a bit. They don't have the same opportunities."[11]

References

  1. ^ Wales, The maths teacher making her mark on the rugby field | Sport (3 September 2020). "The maths teacher making her mark on the rugby field". Sport Wales. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
  2. ^ Websites - 3bit.co.uk, We Build. "Cerys Hale | Dragons Player". www.dragonsrugby.wales. Retrieved 29 April 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  3. ^ "Pontyclun". Retrieved 29 April 2021.
  4. ^ "Cerys Hale (Prop)". Gloucester Rugby. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
  5. ^ a b c "Hale storms back from World Cup disappointment - Welsh Rugby Union". Welsh Rugby Union | Wales & Regions. 14 February 2016. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
  6. ^ "Wales' Hale reflects on lockdown fitness journey". BBC Sport. 10 September 2020. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
  7. ^ "Cerys Hale". Welsh Rugby Union | Wales & Regions. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
  8. ^ Jones, Liz (21 September 2022). "Wales Rugby World Cup squad named". Welsh Rugby Union. Retrieved 22 September 2022.
  9. ^ "Wales: Siwan Lillicrap captains 32-player Rugby World Cup squad featuring 19 tournament debutants". Sky Sports. 21 September 2022. Retrieved 10 October 2022.
  10. ^ "Hale earns World Cup call up". www.cardiffmetsu.co.uk. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
  11. ^ "Cerys Hale Mixes Scrums And Sums In Order To Play For Wales". Dai Sport. 11 March 2020. Retrieved 29 April 2021.