Siwan Lillicrap appointed to lead WRU women's coaching pathway

BBC Sport reports that former Wales captain Siwan Lillicrap has been appointed head of women's coaching and development by the Welsh Rugby Union. It is a newly created position, placing the 38-year-old in charge of a central part of the governing body's work with emerging players and coaches in the women's and girls' game.

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The WRU said Lillicrap will deliver an aligned coaching and development system across the women's performance pathway. That remit covers players between 14 and 24 years old, linking the stages through which young players progress toward senior environments. The appointment gives Lillicrap responsibility for shaping that system after several years working directly within it.

Lillicrap won 51 caps for Wales after making her international debut in 2016. She retired from international rugby in 2022 and has since served as the WRU's performance pathway manager while also coaching the Wales women's under-18 side. In the pathway role, she oversaw player development centres in east, west and north Wales.

Speaking after the appointment, Lillicrap said she was excited to bring her passion, knowledge and experience to the next stage of developing the women's and girls' pathway. She said her three and a half years with the under-18 team and as performance pathway manager had included progress in the development system and successful movement of players into senior environments.

Her tenure with the under-18 side included a 32-24 win against England at the 2026 Under-18 Six Nations Festival. Lillicrap said the Welsh pathway has an ambitious vision focused on developing both people and players capable of helping Welsh rugby succeed at the highest level.

WRU technical director Rhys Long described the move as a key appointment and linked it to growth in player and coach numbers across the women's game in Wales. He cited Lillicrap's experience as a former Wales captain and her work managing the player development centres as central to the decision. Lillicrap was also among the first 12 players awarded full-time WRU contracts for Wales women in 2022.