Shanelle Williams: Wales hooker realises childhood dream and prepares for Japan

Shanelle Williams has already fulfilled one childhood ambition after making her Wales debut and now she is preparing for another milestone in Japan.

The 19-year-old former Gwernyfed RFC junior came off the bench in Wales' 50-19 win over South Africa in the WXV Global Series in September.

As a child, Williams had written on her Christmas list that she wanted to play for Wales.

"I didn't actually know that there was a women's team," the hooker said.

"I used to tell my dad that I was going to play for Wales with the boys.

"Then I obviously realised that I actually can play for Wales. Since then, everything I've done, rugby's always been a priority."

Williams had forgotten about the Christmas list until her older sister reminded her after she won her first Wales Under-18 cap.

"It's quite a nice reminder that I have been working for this for so long, so it has all been worth it," she said.

Williams started playing rugby at Gwernyfed aged eight, spending four years there before joining the Red Kites and later moving into the Wales pathway.

She went on to play for Cardiff Quins and Cardiff Rugby before attending Hartpury College.

Her father played a key role, regularly making the journey from home to Cardiff for training.

"Obviously I'm from Gwernyfed, so it was about an hour and a half down to Cardiff," she said.

"He used to take me for training on Friday nights straight after school.

"I wouldn't have been able to do it if my dad hadn't given me that opportunity, so I'm very lucky."

Williams' family and friends were in the stands to watch her make her Wales debut at Cardiff Arms Park.

"They'll come to every single game that they can," she said.

"It's so nice to be able to have that support on the sideline. I can always hear them over everyone else in the crowd."

Williams says the reality of becoming a senior Wales international only really sank in once she stepped onto the pitch.

"It didn't feel real it until I was actually on the pitch," she said.

"It was quite nice to be able to come onto the pitch with Elan (Jones) as well, because we've done [Wales] Under-18s together, we've done Under-20s together.

"Being able to share that with her was really nice as well. Then coming to my family afterwards, it was a surreal feeling, to be honest."

The Brython Thunder hooker has been inclued in a 30-player squad for two Tests against Japan which will complete Wales' WXV Global Series campaign for 2026.

The first Test takes place at Prince Chichibu Memorial Stadium in Tokyo on Saturday, 24 October at 10:30 BST, with the second at Kumagaya Rugby Stadium in Saitama seven days later at 07:00 GMT.

Williams admits the senior international environment has been a significant step up.

"I'd heard a lot from my friends - 'It is a step up, it is a step up'," she said.

"I think that actually prepared me quite well to understand that it's not just going into another pathway camp.

"There's even more competition and also understanding that there are still people behind you chasing for your position as well. I think that pushes you a lot more.

"So yeah, it's definitely been a step up, but I've been enjoying it."

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'It's the longest flight I've ever been on'

Japan will also provide Williams with a new experience off the pitch.

"It's the longest flight I've ever been on," she said.

"I've only ever been to Italy, I think that's the furthest I've been - two hours. So I'm not sure how that's going to go."

But she is determined to make the most of her opportunity against a Japan side ranked 12th in the world, one place below Wales.

"Sometimes, because they're not in the Six Nations and stuff, they can be a little bit overlooked," she said.

"They are a good team, so it's just making sure we stay on top of our process.

"We've done a lot over pre-season on being an 80-minute team, so I think sticking to that should help us."

Williams has already achieved the dream she wrote down as a child. Now she wants to add to her Wales cap tally.

"I've always looked up to girls like Kelsey Jones, Molly Reardon and Carys Phillips when she was in the squad," she said.

"They've always been role models to me, so being able to train alongside them and get tips from them as well is really beneficial to me.

"Definitely, I want to add to that tally."