Wales prop Cara Hope has announced she will be stepping back from international rugby to focus on her medicine degree.
The front-rower, who plays her club rugby at newly-crowned Premier 15s champions Gloucester-Hartpury, said balancing professional sport while studying full-time medicine has left her "in a challenging place."
Hope made her debut for Wales in the 2018 Six Nations and has won 27 caps, which she hopes to add to.
"I'm sad to be making this decision and it wasn't easy," the 29-year-old said in a statement posted on social media. "After years of playing and dedicating my life to rugby, I have decided that it's best for me to take a step away from the international stage for the time being.
"The reality of balancing professional sport (the amazing way women's rugby has grown) and studying medicine full-time has left me in a challenging place. This isn't a retirement or a goodbye to rugby, rather a break so that I can refocus and ensure my future is stable and a career I enjoy is possible."
Wales Women currently have 25 players on full-time Welsh Rugby Union contracts for 2023, an increase on the 12 which were awarded for the first six months of 2022. Wales are preparing for World Rugby's inaugural women's rugby competition, WXV, where they will face the likes of world champions Black Ferns, the Red Roses and France in New Zealand this autumn.
