There’s something in the water at Amman Valley Comprehensive School. At least, that’s Wales Women coach Ioan Cunningham’s assessment of Wales’ ostensible rugby hotbed nestled in the Amman Valley.
A conveyor belt works as an equally apt description as well, given the 166 Wales caps and counting coursing through through the school’s proverbial veins, courtesy of current centre and captain Hannah Jones (43), scrum-half Ffion Lewis (28), backrow Jac Morgan (8) and legend Shane Williams (87).
Cunningham, too, is another former pupil who shares the Amman Valley origin point, having scaled through Wales’ youth international ranks while attending the school before electing to turn his career towards coaching.
READ MORE: Wales Six Nations squad announced as six uncapped players called up
And on Wednesday, the women’s head coach was given the opportunity alongside Jones and Lewis to return to their old stomping ground as part of the Welsh Rugby Union’s squad announcement for the women’s upcoming Six Nations campaign, with pupils reading aloud the selected players’ names in a video posted to social media.
“It’s great to come back and visit the old school,” Cunningham told WalesOnline on returning to Amman Valley. “There are a lot of great athletes who have come through here, both female and male.
“I think it is in the water here. Where the school is situated in the Valleys, rugby is a hotbed here. A lot of people grow up with a ball in their hand and it’s just a thriving environment for rugby.”
Both Jones and Lewis attended and played for Amman Valley around the same time and are now included in Cunningham’s 36-strong squad for the upcoming Six Nations tournament as Wales bid to build on last year’s tempo-setting third-place finish, the team’s best since 2009.
Jones, Cunningham and Lewis were joined by a number of female pupils on Wednesday during the announcement as they ran through various drills and skills sessions and spoke about their respective rugby journeys.
The duo made history last year when they were part of the 12-player cohort awarded full-time playing contracts by the WRU and have been consistent linchpins in the women’s set-up on and off the pitch.
And Cunningham spoke passionately about the inspiration he hopes will be instilled upon returning to the duo’s old school as more athletes look to also etch their names into the school’s impressive file of international rugby talent.
“There’s been a lot of talent in this area and there still is a lot of talent that comes through the school," Cunningham said. "So it’s just great to come back here and inspire the next group, and the next generation to see where everyone started off really."
Cunningham attended Amman Valley at the same time as Williams and recalls with plenty of mirth watching the fleet-footed winger take to the schoolyard.
“He was hard to catch then,” Cunningham said with a wry laugh. “We’re all really proud and he’s done unbelievable things on the world stage. He’s inspired the next group of players as well as Hannah Jones and Ffion Lewis have inspired the next generation of female players.”
The WRU announced the awarding of 25 full-time playing contracts earlier this month, more than double the number of historical professional contracts awarded by the WRU last January in the lead-up to the Six Nations tournament to see Wales tout professional status alongside England and France.
The news arrives as a significant marker in the ongoing journey for professionalising women’s rugby in Wales and could prove pivotal as Wales look to bridge the gap between themselves and European frontrunners England and France.
Wales Women embark on their Six Nations campaign on 25 March when they welcome Ireland to Cardiff Arms Park.
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