Cardiff Met students selected for Wales Training Squad ahead of Australia tour

Two Cardiff Metropolitan University students have been selected in the Wales Women’s Rugby training squad ahead of Wales’ summer tour to Australia and the 2025 Rugby World Cup in England.

Sport, Physical Education and Health student Savannah Picton-Powell earned her call-up following standout Player of the Match performances in both the semi-final and final of Cardiff Met Women’s BUCS Super Rugby championship victory in April. She is joined in the Wales training squad by teammate and fellow student Lucy Isaac, a Sport Conditioning, Rehabilitation and Massage student.

Also named in the wider training squad are four players from Cardiff Met’s Welsh Rugby Union Player Development Centre (PDC East) team: Chiara Pearce, Isla McMullen, Seren Lockwood, and Tilly Vucaj.

The PDC at Cardiff Met plays a vital role in the Welsh Rugby Union’s national strategy to develop high-potential female players and strengthen the pathway to international rugby. In their ambition to be Wales’ Sporting University, Cardiff Met is proud to partner with the WRU to provide a professional training environment for emerging talent, led by Cardiff Met staff member and Welsh rugby legend, Elinor Snowsill.

Lisa Newton, Women’s Head Rugby Coach at Cardiff Met, said, “We’re incredibly proud to see our current students representing Wales on the international stage, and we hope they make a strong impact in Australia ahead of the World Cup later this year. It’s also fantastic to see our PDC players, some as young as under 18, earning recognition, which reflects both the depth of talent in Wales and the high-performance environment we offer at Cardiff Met. Through access to elite coaching, physiotherapy, athlete lifestyle and education support, rehabilitation services, and our state-of-the-art Archers Performance Centre gym, we are committed to developing players and preparing them for the demands of professional and international rugby.”

Wales face the Wallaroos in a two Test series, beginning on 26 July in Brisbane before the second international on 1 August in Sydney.