Siwan Lillicrap

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Siwan Lillicrap
Date of birth (1987-09-27) 27 September 1987 (age 34)
Place of birthSwansea, South Wales
Height1.7 m (5 ft 7 in)
Weight84.09 kg (13 st 3.4 lb)
SchoolYsgol Gyfun Gwyr
UniversitySwansea University
Rugby union career
Position(s) Second Row
Current team Bristol Bears
Amateur team(s)
Years Team Apps (Points)
Waunarlwydd RFC ()
Senior career
Years Team Apps (Points)
2020–present Bristol Bears
Neath RFC
 ()
National team(s)
Years Team Apps (Points)
2016–present Wales
Correct as of 28 April 2021

Siwan Lillicrap (born 27 September 1987) is a Welsh rugby union player who plays as a lock or number 8 for Bristol Bears and the Wales national team. Lillicrap made her debut for Wales in 2016, and captained the team at the 2020 and 2021 Women's Six Nations Championship.


Lillicrap is one of the first professional women's rugby players in Wales. It was announced that Lillicrap would leave her role as Head of Rugby at Swansea University in order to become a full-time professional women's rugby player in January 2022.[1]

Club career[]

Lillicrap's interest in rugby was piqued at a young age, when she would spend her childhood weekends at Waunarlwydd RFC, watching her father coach and brother play. With no girls' team at the club or in her local area, Lillicrap had to wait until she was 17 to join the women's side.[2]

She played for Waunarlwydd while at university and in 2011 moved to Neath RFC. For some years after, Lillicrap played at Swansea RFC and for Ospreys Women. In 2020 Lillicrap moved to the English top flight to represent Bristol Bears in the Premier 15s.[3]

International career[]

After spending almost five years in the extended Wales squad, Lillicrap earned her first cap for Wales at the 2016 Women's Six Nations Championship, making her international debut against Ireland as a second-half replacement for Rebecca Rowe. Her impressive performance meant she was then named in the starting team for the match against Scotland a week later at the Gnoll.[4]

Lillicrap was made Wales skipper in autumn 2019, where she captained Wales to test wins over Ireland and Scotland ahead of the 2020 Women's Six Nations Championship.[5] She captained the team again during the 2021 Women's Six Nations Championship.

Personal life[]

Lillicrap is in a relationship with fellow Wales rugby union player Cara Hope.

Lillicrap attended Ysgol Gyfun Gŵyr, a Welsh language secondary school in Gowerton, Swansea, and studied sports science at Swansea University, graduating in 2009.

Before becoming a professional rugby player, Lillicrap had been Head of Rugby at Swansea University since 2017, overseeing more than 300 players in both the men's and women's programmes from participation level up to high performance.[2] Previously, she was the university's Sport Development Officer – a role she previously held at Cardiff University.[5]

References[]

  1. ^ Hayden, Jessica. "Welsh Rugby Union reveals first dozen women to be given professional contracts". ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 2022-01-30.
  2. ^ a b Sands, Katie (31 January 2020). "The Wales rugby captain who was rejected for five years". WalesOnline. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  3. ^ "Get to know Wales Women's captain Siwan Lillicrap". Rugby World. 29 January 2020. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  4. ^ "Siwan Lillicrap". Welsh Rugby Union. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  5. ^ a b "My Rugby Life: Siwan Lillicrap". Six Nations Rugby. 10 April 2021. Retrieved 28 April 2021.

External links[]

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