Phillips Joins Wales Greats At A Fourth World Cup

Women's Rugby World Cup 2025: Scotland v Wales

Venue: Salford Community Stadium Date: Saturday, 23 August Kick-off: 14:45 BST

Coverage: Live connected BBC One, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport Online and BBC Sounds

Carys Phillips will subordinate an elite group of players erstwhile she represents Wales astatine a 4th World Cup this month.

The Harlequins hooker has been named successful Sean Lynn's squad which kicks-off their run against Scotland connected Saturday.

Phillips goes into nan grounds books alongside Welsh legends Sioned Harries, Elinor Snowsill, Caryl Thomas, Louise Rickard, Jacqueline Morgan and Liza Burgess successful making 4 awesome tourney appearances.

"It's a spot surreal, a mind-blowing clip to get a 4th call-up" said nan 32-year-old.

"This [World Cup] is going to beryllium nan biggest, nary uncertainty astir that. The excavation stages are beautiful overmuch sold out, which is unbelievable truthful I'm really excited to get started."

Phillips is 1 of Wales' astir capped players - conscionable 2 short of World Rugby hallway of famer Burgess who vanished her stellar profession connected 87 caps - but she still has immoderate measurement to spell to drawback up pinch Rickard, who ran retired for 112 Tests betwixt 1993 and 2010.

Phillips made her Wales debut against Ireland successful 2013 and was later selected successful Rhys Edwards' squad for nan 2014 World Cup.

"I was 20 erstwhile I went to my first tourney successful France, though I only looked astir 16 successful nan squad photo," Phillips said.

"I retrieve facing nan Haka for nan first clip during nan excavation matches. That was rather scary."

Phillips later agreed pinch her begetter Rowland Phillips who appointed her skipper for nan 2017 tourney successful Ireland, earlier taking her spot successful Ioan Cunningham's squad for nan 2021 World Cup (played successful 2022) successful New Zealand.

And while she seems to person been a champion successful nan squad for nan past 12 years, Phillips' profession has had a fewer bumps successful nan road, including 2 years successful world exile and nan enigma departure of her begetter arsenic caput coach.

But she came roaring backmost onto nan segment successful nan 2021 autumn internationals, scoring a hat-trick against South Africa and nan pursuing twelvemonth she became 1 of 12 players to beryllium awarded a first master statement from nan Welsh Rugby Union (WRU).

But Phillips is very humble astir her achievements, she is intelligibly nan joker successful campy and not personification who likes to beryllium taken excessively seriously.

"I don't enactment for illustration it," she said erstwhile asked really it felt to beryllium 1 of nan astir elder players.

"I'm still not nan oldest successful nan squad which I'm happy about."

Looking up to Wales' World Cup opener, nan enormity of nan Scotland lucifer is not mislaid connected Phillips and her squad mates.

Canada are tipped to apical Pool B, which leaves Wales, Scotland and Fiji fighting it retired for nan runner-up spot to advancement to nan quarter-finals.

"It is simply a repetition of our first crippled successful New Zealand successful 2021 and it is monolithic for us," said Phillips.

"All eyes are connected that and we person to get our capacity correct to springiness america nan momentum we request successful nan competition.

"If we tin get retired of nan excavation stages past thing could happen. We could meet England successful nan quarter-finals successful Bristol, which would beryllium a monolithic event."

"Pre-season has been tough, but really bully for us," she added.

"Ben Flower has travel successful to thief america connected nan interaction area, which was a monolithic work-on for america aft nan Six Nations.

"The circuit to Australia was overmuch needed and we are now overmuch person arsenic a group heading into nan World Cup."