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Robyn Wilkins

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Robyn Wilkins
Date of birth (1995-04-01) 1 April 1995 (age 29)
Place of birthBridgend, South Wales
Height5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)
Weight65 kg (143 lb)
SchoolPorthcawl Comprehensive School
UniversityCardiff University
Occupation(s)Rugby player/ Senior Sport Officer
Height and weight correct as of 14 April 2021
Rugby union career
Position(s) Centre, Fly-half, Full-back
Current team Sale Sharks Women
Senior career
Years Team Apps (Points)
– Ospreys ()
– Cardiff Blues Women ()
– Llandaff North RFC ()
– Worcester Warriors ()
– Gloucester Hartpury ()
2022–2024 Exeter Chiefs Women ()
2024– Sale Sharks Women ()
International career
Years Team Apps (Points)
2014–present Wales 71 0

Robyn Olivia Wilkins (born 1 April 1995) is a Welsh rugby union player who has played either centre, fly-half or full-back for the Wales women's national rugby union team and Sale Sharks Women in Premiership Women's Rugby.

She made her debut for the Wales national squad in 2014 and has played over 70 matches for the national side. Wilkins played for Ospreys, Cardiff Blues Women and Llandaff North RFC at Welsh regional level before moving to Worcester Warriors in the English Premiership. Before taking a professional contract with the WRU she worked as a science teacher at Bassaleg Comprehensive School in Newport. Alongside her professional contract with WRU Wilkins also works for Disability Sport Wales as a Senior Sports Officer and organises the annual Para Sport Festival based in Swansea.

Personal life and education

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On 1 April 1995, Wilkins was born in Bridgend in Wales.[1][2] She is the daughter of the Welsh former one-time international rugby fly-half Gwilym Wilkins.[3][4] Wilkins plays either as centre, fly-half or full-back in rugby union.[5][6] She is listed as 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m) and weighs 65 kg (143 lb) according to her biography from the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) and Eurosport.[1][2] Wilkins was educated at Porthcawl Comprehensive School from 2006 to 2013 and later matriculated to Cardiff University to study a Bachelor of Science degree in Biomedical Science between 2013 and 2016.[7] She taught science at Bassaleg Comprehensive School in Newport while continuing her rugby career.[3][4] Before embarking on her teaching career, Wilkins ventured between hospitals in Birmingham and Wales selling radioactive substances to nuclear medicine department in her role working as an account manager for a medical imaging company.[3][7]

Early career

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She began playing rugby around the age of seven or eight while in primary school and at Pyle RFC, having observed her father participate in the sport.[4] Wilkins at first played alongside boys but was segregated approaching adolescence as is common in team sports.[8] Following time away from rugby between the ages of 11 and 15, she learnt Pencoed had a rugby team and played in its Under 18s side at schools before moving to the Ospreys Under 18s squad. Wilkins learnt Wales had a women's rugby union team when she was around 15 or 16.[3] She played as part of the Girls Under 18 Dragons "A" winning team in the 2013 UK Student Games at Abbeydale Sports Ground in Sheffield.[9]

International career

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In 2014, Wilkins was called up to the Wales women's national rugby union team, making her international debut against Italy in the first match of the 2014 Women's Six Nations Championship, scoring two penalties.[2] A gain of weight and decrease in fitness as a result of low confidence and motivation affected her performance throughout 2015 but an increase in training reversed all that the following year due to help she received from the WRU's conditioning and strength coach.[8] Wilkins has played for the Wales national team 71 times since her debut in 2014,[2] reaching the 50 cap milestone against Ireland at the 2021 Women's Six Nations Championship.[10][11] She played 33 Women's Six Nations matches, scoring two tries and 77 points.[11] Wilkins competed for Wales at the 2014 Women's Rugby World Cup, the 2017 Women's Rugby World Cup and the 2021 Rugby World Cup.[5] She has also played for the Wales women's national rugby sevens team.[12]

Wilkins was selected in Wales squad for the 2021 Rugby World Cup in New Zealand.[13][14]

Club career

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At the club level, she has played for Ospreys, Cardiff Blues Women and Llandaff North RFC.[15] Wilkins signed for Worcester Warriors Women of Premier 15s in August 2020 having impressed lead coach Sian Moore.[15][16] Leaving Worcester in 2021, she has since played for Gloucester-Hartpury Women and then for Exeter Chiefs women who she signed with ahead of the 2022-23 Premier 15s season.[17]. Wilkins was in the Exeter squad who reached the Premiership final with in 2022. In summer 2024 it was announced that Wilkins had signed for northern club Sale Sharks.[2] Whilst teaching at Bassaleg Comprehensive School, Wilkins was a member of Wales' Sisters in Arms programme and helped students at the School build a team in the Urdd WRU sevens competition.[6] Wilkins previously worked for Cardiff Blues' Unstoppables women's campaign.[18]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Robyn Wilkins". Eurosport. Retrieved 14 April 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Robyn Wilkins". Welsh Rugby Union. Archived from the original on 14 April 2021. Retrieved 14 April 2021.
  3. ^ a b c d Sands, Katie (8 February 2020). "The story of the little girl with the Welsh international dad who grew up to become Wales' number 10". WalesOnline. Archived from the original on 14 April 2021. Retrieved 14 April 2021.
  4. ^ a b c Kirwan, Chris (13 February 2020). "Bassaleg teacher Wilkins aims to find winning formula with Wales". South Wales Argus. Archived from the original on 14 April 2021. Retrieved 14 April 2021.
  5. ^ a b "Wales Women – Robyn Wilkins Out To Make 50th Cap Memorable For More Than One Reason". 80Min. 10 April 2021. Archived from the original on 14 April 2021. Retrieved 14 April 2021.
  6. ^ a b Gillipsie, Graeme (8 February 2020). "Robyn leading the way". Welsh Rugby Union. Archived from the original on 14 April 2021. Retrieved 14 April 2021.
  7. ^ a b "Robyn Wilkins". Slideshare. 2016. Retrieved 14 April 2021.
  8. ^ a b "A Case of Like Father Like Daughter For Wales' Women's Robyn Wilkins". Six Nations Rugby. 1 March 2016. Archived from the original on 14 April 2021. Retrieved 14 April 2021.
  9. ^ "Welsh Dragons are 'golden girls'". Welsh Rugby Union. 17 September 2013. Archived from the original on 14 April 2021. Retrieved 14 April 2021.
  10. ^ "Robyn Wilkins i ennill ei 50fed cap yn erbyn Iwerddon" [Robyn Wilkins to win his 50th cap against Ireland] (in Welsh). BBC Cymru Fyw. 8 April 2021. Archived from the original on 14 April 2021. Retrieved 14 April 2021.
  11. ^ a b Hemingray, James (8 April 2021). "Wilkins to get 50th cap against Ireland". Herald Wales. Archived from the original on 14 April 2021. Retrieved 14 April 2021.
  12. ^ "Classy Wilkins guides Wales through to knock-out stages". Welsh Rugby Union. 3 December 2015. Retrieved 26 April 2021.
  13. ^ Jones, Liz (21 September 2022). "Wales Rugby World Cup squad named". Welsh Rugby Union. Retrieved 22 September 2022.
  14. ^ "Wales: Siwan Lillicrap captains 32-player Rugby World Cup squad featuring 19 tournament debutants". Sky Sports. 21 September 2022. Retrieved 10 October 2022.
  15. ^ a b "Warriors Women Sign Wales International Pair". Worcester Warriors. 21 August 2020. Archived from the original on 14 April 2021. Retrieved 14 April 2021.
  16. ^ "Wales' Robyn Wilkins and Hannah Bluck join Warriors". BBC Sport. 21 August 2020. Archived from the original on 14 April 2021. Retrieved 14 April 2021.
  17. ^ "Exeter sign Wilkins, Muzambe and Leonard". BBC Sport. Retrieved 4 October 2022.
  18. ^ "Half centurion Wilkins determined to put icing on the cake in Ireland Test". Cardiff Blues. 8 April 2021. Archived from the original on 14 April 2021. Retrieved 14 April 2021.
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