Dragons Women U18s have named their 25-woman squad for the first of three Regional Festivals taking place at the Centre of Excellence in Ystrad Mynach this Sunday, (11am start).
The Girls of Gwent will be hosting the opening festival and supporters are welcome to support the team with free entry into the ground.
Dragons led by captain Leanna Maybank will take on Welsh rivals Ospreys, Scarlets, Cardiff Rugby and RGC in the battle for bragging rights and a potential place in the Welsh U18s national squad.
The U18s will be hoping to start well and lay down a marker with three festivals taking place throughout February.
The competition will head to Merthyr RFC next Sunday followed by a trip to the Cardiff Arms Park for the final Regional Festival a week later.
The festivals will provide invaluable match experience and a national U18 squad will then be selected by head coach Liza Burgess at the end of the month for international training and playing opportunities.
Dragons Women U18s Forwards Coach Cerys Hale said: “It’s been great to see the girls develop so much over a short space of time especially with our key focus of this programme being to improve each individual.
“it’s been tough narrowing the squad down to just 25 for this first festival but everyone will get a chance to prove themselves over the next three weeks.
“Heading into Sunday we obviously want to be competitive, we want them to express themselves and hopefully they will have the opportunity to put their hands up for selection and really show the skills and physical attributes they have been developing in their time here.”
DRAGONS 25-WOMEN SQUAD: Steph Monkley, Molly Wakely, Lizzie Regan, Molly Owen, Cerys Clement, Lowri Freeman, Kacey Harvey, Chloe Thomas-Bradley, Katie Bevans, Demi Williams, Lauren Stevens, Leanna Maybank (C), Natalia Barnes, Molly Powell, Teagan Gwyther, Katie Skinner, Corri-Jo Greenslade, Cerys Watkeys-Bowen, Summer Chick, Nikkita Olsen, Caitlyn Wilkes, Savannah Picton-Powell, Ffion Lewellyn, Emily Thomas, Lucy Isaac.
