Women's Six Nations: Gloucester-Hartpury players hope to bring club confidence into Wales camp

Lleucu George has played a starring role for Gloucester-Hartpury in recent seasons

Gloucester-Hartpury's Welsh contingent are hoping their impressive club form will lead to success in the upcoming Women's Six Nations.

Gloucester have made a perfect start to defending their Premiership Women's Rugby title, with 12 wins from 12.

Twelve of their ranks have been named in Wales' 37-player Six Nations squad, including the captain Hannah Jones.

"Playing at that standard week in week out is only going to help us moving into the Six Nations," Jones said.

"I love being at Gloucester-Hartpury, always have.

"I've seen the squad go from the bottom to the top end and it's been a really good journey. Sean Lynn [Gloucester-Hartpury head coach] creates a really good environment, he allows you to be the player that you want to be."

As well as playing together, Jones says the commute with her Welsh team mates brings them even closer together.

"We share lifts from Swansea, two and a half hours in the car there and back," she said.

"You get to really know someone in the car and definitely you bring that cohesion onto the field when you're training, and then on the weekend, you want to really fight for each other."

Lleucu George has been pulling the strings at fly-half at Gloucester-Hartpury and is now seen as Wales' first choice 10 following the retirement of Elinor Snowsill.

She has been a constant for the Cherry and Whites this season, having started all 12 of their games.

"Hopefully we can all bring that confidence that we got with club into international duty and put it on the field for everyone to see," George said.

"It's always good to have that familiarity.

"I've been happy with how I'm playing and hopefully I can now bring that into this training camp.

"We never know what the team is going to be so everyone still has to perform in training, push each other, have that competitive edge and hopefully I can put my best foot forward."

Wales head coach Ioan Cunningham has named un-capped Cath Richards in his squad, along with fellow winger Nel Metcalfe who has been a regular starter in Lynn's side over the past few weeks.

Gwen Crabb is also included despite picking up a small injury playing for Gloucester last weekend. She had previously been sidelined for over a year with a serious knee injury.

She is set to pack down with Bethan Lewis, who was vice captain for Wales at WXV last autumn.

A seasoned campaigner, Lewis remains excited to pull on a Wales shirt alongside her club mates.

"Chuffed - it's always an honour to be involved in the Welsh squad," she said.

"We've been pushing each other as a group of Welsh girls that are there [Gloucester] - it's nice that with our extra top-ups that we are doing it together, that we are not just a couple of us on the training field.

"Obviously it's [Six Nations] going to be a step up but hopefully we've put the work in at our clubs and we'll be physically prepared for it."

Wales kick off their campaign at home to Scotland at Cardiff Arms Park on 23 March.