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Wales' Katherine Baverstock on positional move: 'I am a bit of a live wire'
By Gary Heatly
If things had turned out differently Katherine Baverstock could have been turning out for Wales at the football European Championships that started this week in Switzerland.
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As it is, Baverstock decided to focus on rugby as a teen and national team coach Sean Lynn is delighted she did because the uncapped loosehead is now in the 45-strong extended training squad and is pushing for selection for the Australia tour and the Rugby World Cup.
Baverstock, a former England under-20 cap who qualifies for Wales through her late paternal grandparents, describes how she started off her sporting career with the round ball.
“I played football for years and years growing up, from pretty much as soon as I could walk,” the 22-year-old prop explained.
“I remember when I was young I really wanted to be a professional footballer and I have always been a big Liverpool fan so I certainly enjoyed last season.
“With my football I played in representative teams and in county teams growing up and was lucky enough to get exposure to a few football academies, MK Dons being one of them.
“I was an attacking central midfielder and I loved getting on the ball and trying to create chances or score goals myself.
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“My football playing did continue alongside my rugby for quite a while, but then as things got more serious I had to choose one or the other.”
Growing up in Milton Keynes, the forward joined Saracens’ Centre of Excellence until moving west to Hartpury College, which effectively put the nail in the coffin of her footballing journey.
“When I earned a place at Hartpury, I was offered places in the rugby set up and in the football set up, so I had a choice to make at that point and rugby was the winner. Ever since then rugby has been my focus.”
The sporting all-rounder then signed for PWR side Loughborough Lightning before representing Gwalia Lightning in the Celtic Challenge and has recently moved back to her neighbouring county, to play for Leicester Tigers next season.
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Such is her athletic abilities, Baverstock has been trying out different positions in the pack over the past year. For Gwalia and Loughborough she played blindside flanker but Wales Head Coach Lynn wants her to focus on loosehead while she is in the Wales training camp.
“I am getting used to being part of the front-row club again and sharpening up the skills needed to play loosehead. When I am playing in the back-row I get in a zone and am a bit of a live wire wanting to carry and tackle all of the time.
“I can still use those strengths that I have when I am playing loosehead, but I just perhaps have to be a bit more controlled and also really nail down my job at the set piece.
“I still want to play as almost that fourth back-row option in attack if you like, I just need to do other jobs around the park and do them well.”
It remains to be seen whether Baverstock can force her way into the slimmed down squads for Wales’ trip to Australia for two warm-up Tests and then the World Cup itself in England in August and September.
But whatever happens she will continue to put her best foot forward in her quest for a full cap as she concluded: “When Sean called me to tell me I was in this 45-strong squad I was shocked, but so excited to get going and the last few weeks have certainly lived up to my expectations.
“This is the best place to be to learn for a young rugby player and I just want to keep learning and soaking this experience up.
“With the move to Tigers and then being called into this squad, I am seeing this as a bit of a new chapter in my rugby career and I cannot wait to see how it unfolds.
“Sometimes your mind drifts and you think what it would be like to earn that first cap and I know how proud my family would be if that day comes, but for now I just have to keep the hard work going.”