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Premier 15s final: Smiling Kelsey Jones hails Gloucester's Wales impact

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Published in Rugby
Monday, 12 June 2023 05:05

Kelsey Jones has one of the biggest smiles in sport and that grin became even bigger at the weekend.

The Wales hooker scored in Gloucester Hartpury's play-off victory over Bristol Bears, which saw them make a first Premier 15s final.

They will take on last year's runners-up Exeter Chiefs back at Kingsholm on Saturday, 24 June.

Jones says the achievement was made even more special by sharing it with some of her international team-mates.

"To play with my best friends, it's amazing," she told BBC Sport Wales.

"I am buzzing and smiling from ear to ear.

"And what's lucky for us as Welsh players is we take that continuity back into camp and you can see the progression we've made."

While Bristol Bears used to boast the lion's share of Wales internationals, there has been a gradual west country shift to Gloucester in the last couple of years.

There are currently 13 Wales players on the books, including current Wales captain Hannah Jones and former captain Siwan Lillicrap.

Bethan Lewis and Lleucu George joined Jones in the starting XV on Saturday, with Sisilia Tuipulotu and Lisa Neumann among the replacements.

Speaking after the match, Jones said: "The first thing I knew what to do after that 80 minutes was cry.

"The hard work that the girls have put in this year, and not just this year, but in previous years as well, you can see that we have built such a good team.

"I've always said we'll take one game at a time and here we are, we've got to the final.

"We will rest up, look after ourselves and then we've got a big week ahead to prepare."

Best feeling in the world

Wales prop and Gloucester lock Tuipulotu was also full of emotion at the final whistle, with a place in the final capping an incredible season for the 19-year-old.

She was nominated as one of the players of the 2023 Women's Six Nations having burst on to the international scene 12 months earlier.

"It's class. I am proud of my team and the performance they put out," she said.

"I've got to give it to the girls, we have had some new people in the team this year, but I feel we have got closer as a team and I guess that shows on the field as well as off."

Tuipulotu joined the players in signing autographs after the match and said: "I'm just glad I get to inspire little ones.

"I had a little girl the other day come up to me and say 'I started playing rugby because of you' and that really touched my heart," she said.

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