Cast your mind back to November 2021. Wales women have finished bottom of a shortened Six Nations and are set to go into Autumn internationals against Japan, South Africa and Canada having only won once in their previous nine games, including a 29-5 defeat to Spain.

However, in that same November, the WRU announced they would introduce professional contracts, which came into place in January the following year.

What followed was a noticeable upturn in form as players benefitted from their rise in professionalism, finishing third in the next two Six Nations.

After two years of progression, last autumn’s WXV1 tournament and the 2024 Six Nations have seen a period of stagnation for the senior national team, resulting in one win in their last eight games.

So how can Wales continue to develop and improve to become one of the best development programmes in the world?

Well one of their hopes is in their player development centres (PDC’s) put in place in West Wales – Swansea University, East Wales – Cardiff Metropolitan University, and North Wales – Rygbi Gogledd Cymru (RGC) at Parc Eirias.

The three centres were announced in May last year aiming to develop between 25 and 35 players each year to improve the depth of talent within the women’s game.

The leaders of these programmes are former Wales international Elinor Snowsill at Cardiff, Lucy Brown at RGC and former Ospreys and Wales sevens player Lloyd Evans at Swansea.

Evans began playing rugby at Bridgend Athletic, before joining Bridgend Ravens and was then offered a contract with the Ospreys as a flanker.

“During that time, I was con-currently studying at Cardiff Met and I think it was my third year when I joined Ospreys,” said Evans.

“After two or three years I signed full-time with Wales sevens playing on the HSBC world series for six years playing 100-odd games, then I finished, went back to Cardiff Met at 30 to do a PGCE and then I became a teacher.

“I was at Cwmtawe and then this job came up with Swansea University and the WRU, rugby is what I’m passionate about, so I moved from teaching to this current role and I’m also playing for Swansea Whites as well.”

The opportunity to help develop the next crop of Welsh talent was too good to refuse and Evans is enjoying working with a programme which is “the first of its kind”.

“The player development centres are to support the development of high-potential women and girls across Wales, for me that is to help them achieve their ambitions and become elite rugby players and their dreams of playing for Wales,” Evans added.

“The PDC is a key stepping stone for women and girls who when they finish their international pathway blocks, they can step back to the PDC, and we offer that 360o approach to develop their skills and offer that analysis.”

“The work that Lloyd Ashley and Verity Cook do as Swansea University athlete support offers is second to none. We strive to cater for the whole athlete and look to support them in other ways within their career/education settings.

“We offer wellbeing workshops and support showing that our program isn’t just about what we can create on field but the support and guidance we provide off it.

“Our aim is to become sector leading and we hope to achieve that with the support of the WRU, Swansea University and our stakeholders to drive the performance of women’s and girls’ rugby within Wales.”

The programme is designed to help 16–23-year-olds however Evans has plans on expanding the programme to develop younger players as well.

“Because it’s in its infancy, and I came in in November we haven’t been looking at the depth chart of players as much as we’d like to because we’d like to look at U16s and U17s within the pathway,” said Evans.

“We’re just scratching the surface, highlighting the Welsh pathway and University girls. That’s why I was given the opportunity run the u17s pilot scheme, lowering the age and watching the regional age grade block, highlighting players who I don’t expect to be the finished article but can jump into the environment and quickly progress

“Being part of the development programme, where we can offer them strength and conditioning training and guidance, nutrition, one-to-one technical and tactical support.

“We’re looking to bridge the gap, so everything is aligned and the PDC underpins their transition between pathway, University and Celtic Challenge and I think it’s important to keep refining those small skills along with the rugby basics of catch, pass and kick.

“It’s important when they make the step up, they are at a level where they can develop in those environments, it’s exciting to be part of this programme and I’m thankful to be part of it because this could be so special in terms of rugby in Wales.”

“The WRU have had some negative press but the things they’re putting in place are really accelerating the women’s game and we’re seeing more female athletes transitioning from other sports earlier and earlier,” Evans added.

“At the moment, rugby is so special in Wales because you could pick up a rugby ball and within two years you could be playing in a World Cup or Six Nations.”

Evans is keen to utilise the skills he learnt during his playing career particularly with sevens to aid the players in their development.

So, who are the stars withing the first crop of youngsters to look out for coming from Swansea’s PDC?

“Some of the girls like Meg Fisher, captain of Swansea Uni for two years, she joined the PDC and has excelled, played for Wales U20’s and is looking to continue her studies up north and link up with Sale and PDC North,” said Evans.

“Someone like Anna Stowell, who thrived in the Varsity scoring a forty metre try and I think that’s down to the work and how she’s conducted herself in the PDC.

“Then there’s Finley Jones, again in the PDC, probably wasn’t even meant to be in the Celtic challenge but has worked hard on and off the field, starting alongside Alex Callender and Sioned Harries in the back row for Brython Thunder.

“Also, Hannah Marshall up in Hartpury. A lot of her stuff is remote but because she’s still engaged in the programmes, she’s still reaping the rewards, it doesn’t have to always be in person, but she’ll be one in the Wales set up sooner rather than later.

“This is going to be accelerated at a rate of knots, what I’d love is to see someone come in at 16 and then us as a coaching team to go out and watch her win her first cap on the national stage.

“That’s something we’ve talked about as coaches and that would be an amazing feeling for us.”