Elinor Snowsill: Wales fly-half defies coach to make fourth World Cup

Elinor Snowsill played for Wales in the 2010, 2014 and 2017 Rugby World Cups

Wales fly-half Elinor Snowsill was told by a coach that she would not make another Rugby World Cup.

Eighteen months on she is preparing to feature in a fourth major tournament, this time as a professional player.

"It did knock me a little bit", she admitted, "but I decided I am not going to let him write the end of my story, I am not going to finish on that note."

Snowsill will be looking to add to her 67 caps when the World Cup gets under way in New Zealand on 8 October.

She credits her club head coach Dave Ward of Bristol Bears who persuaded her to go to pre-season last year.

"He said just give it a few weeks and you will love it, and I did.

"Then Ioan [Cunningham] came in and exactly the same, I loved it as well.

"I am so glad I did not give up.

"I had not really given myself the best chance without a full-time contract, because you do not know what you can achieve, but now I am starting to find out."

Snowsill was one of the first Wales players to be awarded a professional contract by the Welsh Rugby Union at the start of the year.

Prior to that, she combined 16 hour days of work and training, while cramming in reviews and analysis ahead of early morning alarms.

Now she says she feels "more robust, fitter and stronger" with plenty more to come.

"I am still getting better and better and I feel like I am only at 60 or 70 per cent of what I could be," she said.

"Skills-wise I have put in so many more hours into my kicking, passing and tackling than I have ever done before."

And at 33-years-old, Snowsill is showing now signs of hanging up her boots, saying "age is just a number isn't it? Just look at Johnny Sexton!"