Wales have named Bethan Lewis as captain for their Women's Six Nations showdown against England this Saturday, with key players Kate Williams and Carys Cox ruled out due to injuries.
Lewis, who previously led Wales against Canada during last summer's World Cup, will take charge as Wales face the formidable world champions at Ashton Gate. The back-row forward expressed her pride, stating:
"It's always a massive honour to put on the jersey and to be able to lead the girls out against England."
Williams sustained a leg injury during Wales' 38-7 defeat to France last weekend and will miss the match. Her co-captain from last year, Alex Callender, remains sidelined with an ankle injury.
Centre Carys Cox, who was a late withdrawal from the France game after picking up a knock in training, will also be unavailable. However, head coach Sean Lynn provided some positive news, confirming that wing Seren Singleton has returned to training despite leaving the field with her arm in a sling last week.
Lynn explained:
"Carys isn't going to be in contention this week, however she will be when we go up against Ireland and Italy. Seren has been in training and has been training really well, so that's a positive for us."
Wales face a daunting challenge against an England side that recently scored 12 tries against Scotland. The Welsh team is searching for their first Six Nations victory in over two years, but Lewis remains optimistic about the opportunity.
"We have absolutely nothing to lose. I think we've shown a lot of progress in terms of performance. Obviously it's not the complete performance that we're working towards, but what better team to go up against than England to really put our stall out?"
Lynn will announce his full starting lineup on Thursday morning as Wales prepare for what promises to be a challenging encounter before the tournament's two-week break.