The smile on the face of Sisi Tuipulotu as she modelled the new Wales World Cup kit said it all – ‘I’m back!’
The Gloucester-Hartpury prop last played on 18 January in a 33-31 win over Ealing Trailfinders in a Professional Women’s Rugby clash.
She went into that game with her thigh heavily strapped having damaged her hamstring in a speed session.
Now she is back to full fitness after undergoing surgery on 1 February and can’t wait to pull on the Wales jersey again on their two Test tour of Australia.
The Welsh side head down under this week and Tuipulotu is hoping to be able to pull on her boots in anger for the first time in 190 days when Wales meet the Wallaroos in Brisbane on Saturday 26 July.
“I’m back in one piece and my hamstring is now the strongest it has ever been. It happened in a speed session in January and then I had surgery in February,” explained Tuipulotu.
“I feel the strongest and fittest I’ve ever been and hopefully I can show that when I get back out on the field. I’m very excited to get back out there.
“I’ve been telling the physios to get me back out there even though I couldn’t run in straight lines. Now I’m back out on the pitch and I’ve got the ball in my hands again, I’m happy.”
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The two games against the Wallaroos, ranked four places higher than Wales in sixth place in the official World Rugby Rankings, will lead Sean Lynn’s side into the World Cup, which kicks-off once again against Scotland in Manchester.
Tuipulotu, who turns 22 next month, was greatly missed during the Six Nations campaign and will be a welcome addition to the Welsh pack at what will be her second global tournament. Lynn is certain to ease her back into the action after such a difficult period for the Hartpury University student who will be 10,000 miles away when her fellow psychology students graduate next week.
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“I’m a big believer that everything that happens, happens for a reason, but coming back after the operation was tough both physically and mentally,” admitted Tuipulotu.
“I got a lot of support from my family, who know all about recovering from injuries. My Dad (Sione, who played for Tonga) had a few in his career and my brother (Kepu, Bath and England U20) had shoulder surgery last year.
“They gave me advice when I was struggling mentally and it has been great to have them to fall back on. I’ve been back in with the Welsh squad for the past three weeks and that has been great.”
Head of women's rugby Belinda Moore has defended the decision to prepare for the 2025 Women’s World Cup in England on the other side of the world.
Wales travel Down Under on Thursday for a two-Test series against Australia, with matches in Brisbane on July 26 and Sydney on August 1.
Sean Lynn’s squad will have clocked up 20,000 air miles before returning for their tournament opener against Scotland in Salford on August 23 – a contest crucial as far as qualification for the knock-out stages is concerned with world number two-ranked Canada in their pool.
Moore said the decision to prepare for the World Cup in Australia was taken before her appointment as head of women’s rugby in Wales in January, but insisted there are positive factors to the exhausting trip.
“This is part of a reciprocal arrangement as Australia came here before WXV on their way to South Africa,” Moore said as Wales’ World Cup kit was unveiled in Carmarthenshire.
“We covered the hosting costs there and we have to go to camp somewhere, so this is cost-effective oddly.
“It gives us a chance to play a team ranked two or three places above us who are going to provide stern opposition, and see how much the work we have put in has paid off.
“We’ve got two really strong matches and a three-week block in camp. There will be a good training environment with the Australians giving us good facilities.
“We get back early in August three weeks ahead of the tournament. Southern hemisphere teams are coming over later than that and no-one’s suggesting New Zealand won’t be ready to play.
“We’re back in time for full recovery and we’ll be ready for the World Cup when it comes.”
Women’s rugby in Wales has been in turmoil in recent years, despite the Welsh Rugby Union handing out its first professional contracts to female players in 2022.
The WRU faced a series of allegations and scandals relating to the treatment of its women’s national team, including claims of sexism and misogyny.
WRU chair Richard Collier-Keywood and chief executive Abi Tierney apologised last autumn over the way contract negotiations were conducted with the national women’s squad.
Players had been threatened with withdrawal from WXV2 and the 2025 World Cup if they did not agree to a “final offer” ultimatum within a three-hour deadline.
Moore said: “We’re absolutely looking forward to the future. Do I think the team is in a better place? Yes. 100 per cent.
“The feedback I get from the players is positive and these are all steps in the right direction.”
Wales finished bottom of the Six Nations for the second successive season in April, losing all five matches in the tournament for the first time.
Asked whether Wales’ World Cup objective was to get out of the group, Moore said: “If we put in performances in all three matches that we are incredibly proud of, given where we were in the Six Nations, that’s a massive step forward.
“It’s always dangerous to put targets on things because you’re then setting the team up for failure.
“We had a tough Six Nations and the players were really honest in our review. We didn’t do ourselves as proud as we would have wanted.
“The World Cup is an opportunity. Results always matter, but let’s focus on the performance.”
