The Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) has appointed former captain Siwan Lillicrap to a newly created role as head of women's coaching and development. The position is designed to unify coaching and development across the women's performance pathway for players aged 14 to 24, reflecting what the WRU describes as rapid growth in playing numbers and coaches within the Welsh women's game.

Lillicrap, who won 51 caps for Wales before retiring in 2022, has spent the past three and a half years as the WRU's pathway manager and head coach of the women's under-18s, during which she oversaw player development centres in east, west and north Wales. She was also among the first 12 players awarded full-time WRU contracts in 2022, and guided the Wales U18s to a 32-24 win over England at the 2026 Six Nations Festival. WRU technical director Rhys Long said her playing pedigree and pathway experience made her the right fit for the role.