I've watched live professional rugby a handful of times. All at the Principality Stadium, which was called the Millennium Stadium when I last visited, and all when my dad was still hopeful at least one of his daughters would get into the sport (I'm giving you an insight into just how long ago that was).
So, attending the Women's Six Nations clash between Wales and England, I had little else of rugby to compare it to. I don't watch the men play on TV and I don't have the kind of social life where I make it essential to get out with friends to watch a game. The most recent rugby game I've watched, before this, was my nephew playing mini touch rugby.
I will start with a warning: everything you read is coming from someone who doesn't really know much about what was going on technically. I loosely know the rules — try, conversion, line-out etc — but I don't know the ins and outs and I guess you could say that the only judgement I have of whether a team is playing well or not is if they are scoring (which is what England did, a lot).
Read more: Belief, euphoria and a surprise scalping — The last time Wales beat the Red Roses
The on-field action was witnessed by a record crowd of 8,862 at a sold-out Cardiff Arms Park, the first time a standalone Wales Women's fixture at home has sold out, and it was reflected in the atmosphere. Chants of "oggy oggy oggy", Land of my Fathers and Sweet Chariot rang out throughout the game.
This was the first time I had been to Cardiff Arms Park, and I actually appreciated the smaller venue a lot more. On the practical side, I could see a lot better from the middle of the stands, compared to anywhere I've ever sat in the Millennium Stadium.
Aside from feeling like I could focus on the game a lot more, the atmosphere was definitely family-friendly and that is a major plus point. I could see people drinking, but there was no rowdiness or the drunken unpleasantness that we heard about during Wales men's autumn internationals not so long ago.
Being from the Valleys, even as someone who doesn't make an effort to watch the rugby, not a tournament goes by where a conversation about "going out to watch the game" doesn't occur in my friends' group chat. And that is because even people who don't follow the men's game on a sporting level treat international rugby as an event, one which often involves going out and getting drunk. The women's game hasn't got that notoriety.
Many emotions came and went through the 80 minutes: excitement in the first half an hour as the Wales team skilfully held off the top-ranked Red Roses, went ahead with a Keira Bevan penalty kick and oh-so-nearly scored the opening try of the game (sadly Wales hooker Kelsey Jones was held up over the line). A brilliant and encouraging opening 30 minutes or so, considering the English team have been pro since 2019 and Wales are 15 months into their professional era. This clash had been billed as an acid test for the women in red, a chance to see where they are really at after two thumping wins over Ireland and Scotland so far this tournament.
But that excitement eventually turned to flatness, and then frustration, with every try England scored (nine in total). It was clear, even to me, that the England team were first-class and Wales - ranked eighth in the world - have some way to go in closing the performance and results gap.
But, amidst all that, one big takeaway for me was imagining the skill and physical strength you need to play a sport like this. And that stuck with me. I was in awe. I walked away wanting to get stronger too. I don't get that same feeling when I watch men's sports. The physical endurance I watched these women go through was insane. I don't want to play into a stereotypical "woman watches rugby for the first time and is inspired" narrative but we are so used to seeing women's bodies on TV depicted only by models, actresses or singers. I'm not saying those women aren't strong, but seeing strong women's bodies being used to play rugby is different. Even fitness influencers that we are exposed to now that squat double their body weight don't have the same inspirational effect on me that this game did. I'm not saying I want to be able to bench 60kg, but I'd love the strength to take a tackle with the confidence that my body wouldn't split in half.
Where else do we see strong women use their physical endurance and skill in this way? There aren't many sports that match rugby when it comes to full body strength and physicality. The visibility of watching women play isn't just inspiring for young girls who want to get into the sport, but it is inspiring for adult women too, showing that our bodies are capable of that physical strength. And for young girls, I hope that the women's game continues to grow, not only to open up more opportunities for girls and women in sport but to also increase the visibility of strong women, show that our bodies don't have to be small, they can take up space, they can be strong. Power, of more than one kind, comes with that.
On the eve of the Six Nations, Wales captain Hannah Jones spoke about the squad's physical transformation after going pro, aided by actually having time to be in the gym rather than balancing rugby with full-time work. She said: "Nutrition-wise, as a squad we've lost the size of baby hippo in body fat and gained a baby bear in muscle. I'm currently trying to gain weight, so I'm eating a lot." Hearing women talking about strength this way is so refreshing. Conversations we have as women so often focus on weight loss, being small or losing fat. As a teenager, I was so concerned with going to the gym to be thin, I wish there was someone out there who told me to go to the gym to be strong.
I was also in awe of the skill these women have. In that moment when they're running for that try, and they're making that decision if they should go for it or if there is someone around them in a better position, the decision-making and the adrenaline that comes in that moment must feel so good, and the thrill when you make that try, even better. And the crowd really feels it. There is nothing better than hearing that rush from the crowd in the build-up as a player is making their way toward the try line. Regardless of what side you're on, imagine being the player, hearing that as you are belting it towards the line.
To be honest, I was gutted I didn't know more about the sport so I could fully enjoy the experience, but I guess you could argue there is no better time to get into it than now, with interest in the women's game growing so positively. You could see that today: it was the hottest ticket in town. There was such a mix of people in the audience and it was clear that it wasn't just about supporting the women on the pitch as individuals but there were people there for the rugby (it hasn't always been that way, many senior players in the Wales team started out with just family and friends turning up).
Looking forward, I would love to see the growth in the professional game make it down to grassroots level. So many women could share stories about how differently they were treated as girls in school compared to boys when it comes to sport. Boys playing rugby was a serious event, I remember seeing boys in secondary school singled out, eyed up for their potential, coached and nurtured into being first-class players, some even ending up on the pitch for Wales now. We need to make sure that girls of school age are now offered those same opportunities that boys are. Nurture their talent from a young age, give them the same opportunities that the boys have. It's great to see the Wales Women U18s pathway return, with plans for the U20s too, but everything needs to link up from grassroots to seniors.
Finally, make the game a cultural event, just as we see with the men's game. I didn't attend the game today with my friends, but I was texting one of them who is into sport about it. Talking about the game as it is going on is part of the fun of watching live sport, sharing that experience with someone, whether that be a friend or family. The next time these games come around, I'll be sure to get a (reasonably-priced, as they all are) ticket before they sell out.
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