Wales Women’s team continues to make headlines with a special edition cover appearance in Women’s Health magazine – a first for a women’s rugby team – thanks to a ground-breaking media partnership with Vodafone.
Cardiff Arms Park will get its first taste of the 2024 Guinness Women’s Six Nations Championship on Saturday 23 March, as Wales face Scotland in the opening round.
Ahead of kick off, six members of the Wales Women’s Rugby team have been featured on the cover of Women’s Health magazine. This makes them the first women’s rugby team to do so, thanks to a ground-breaking paid media partnership with Vodafone – Principal Partner of Wales Women’s Rugby.
Copies of the special edition magazine will be distributed at the upcoming Guinness Women’s Six Nations games hosted in Cardiff.
Thunder and Lightning: Vodafone rugby partnership storms ahead
Vodafone’s multi-year partnership with the Welsh Rugby Union now includes two new teams.
Meet the players
The six-page spread sees current captain, Hannah Jones, and fellow players Alex Callender, Lisa Neumann, Donna Rose, Sisilia Tuipulotu and Abbie Fleming, share their thoughts on everything from their first memories of picking up a ball to the experience of their international debuts.
Alex Callender, 23, is a flanker for Wales and Brython Thunder. Having started her professional sports career playing netball, she pivoted to rugby in 2017, earning her first cap for the national team during the 2019 Six Nations Championship.
Lisa Neumann, 30, plays as a winger for Wales and Harlequins. Previously working as a clinical trials data manager alongside playing rugby, she was among the first 12 Welsh players to receive a full-time professional contract in 2022.
Donna Rose, 32, is a prop for Wales and Saracens. A carpenter by trade, Rose made her debut for the Welsh squad in 2021. She also acts as an ambassador for charities Rugby Against Cancer and Brave Mind.
Hannah Jones, 27, plays as a centre for Wales and Gloucester-Hartpury. Having started playing rugby at the age of six, she is now Wales captain, and has earned more than 50 caps during her international career.
Sisilia Tuipulotu, 20, is a prop for Wales and Gloucester-Hartpury. The daughter of Tongan men’s international Sione Tu’ipulotu, she made her own test debut for Wales against Ireland during the 2022 Six Nations Championship.
Abbie Fleming, 27, plays as a flanker and lock for Wales and Harlequins. A qualified physiotherapist, she has battled back from an ACL reconstruction procedure in 2019 and has since been selected in the Wales sevens squad for the Lisbon leg of the 2022 Rugby Europe Sevens Championship Series.
Further information on the full 37-strong squad, as announced by Wales head coach Ioan Cunningham ahead of the tournament, can be found on the Wales Rugby Union website.
How tech is transforming the way we play and enjoy sport
From 5G tennis lessons to training tailored around menstrual cycles, technology is elevating sport to new heights.
Providing a platform for performance
During their interviews, the players also reflected on how Vodafone’s PLAYER.Connect technology has helped them better understand their bodies, supporting their progress as professional athletes on and off the field.
The PLAYER.Connect platform aggregates data from the athletes’ wearable devices in real time, allowing for instant analysis of how the menstrual cycle impacts performance, wellbeing and recovery.
Wales were the first female side to use Vodafone’s technology, as they came third in a strong showing during the 2023 Women’s Six Nations Championship, beating Ireland, Scotland and Italy along the way.
All eyes now turn to Cardiff, where Wales will once again be supported by Vodafone, who became Founding Principal Partner of women and girl’s rugby in Wales in 2022.
Stay up to date with the latest news from Vodafone by following us on Twitter and signing up for News Centre website notifications.
