{
  "id": 6149050,
  "title": "WRU appoints Lillicrap to new women's role",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/07/wru-appoints-lillicrap-to-new-womens-role",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-07T16:42:29.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "BBC Sport",
    "slug": "bbc-sport",
    "url": "https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/articles/ce9ex1d2e05o?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) has appointed former captain Siwan Lillicrap to a new position as head of women's coaching and development. In this role, Lillicrap will implement a unified coaching and development system for female players aged 14 to 24 within the WRU's performance pathway. Lillicrap, who amassed 51 caps for Wales, previously served as the WRU's pathway manager and women's under-18s head coach since her retirement from international rugby in 2022. During her tenure, she managed player development centres across east, west, and north Wales. Lillicrap expressed her excitement about the new role, highlighting her passion, knowledge, and experience in advancing the women's and girls' pathways. She noted the development of the system and successful player transitions into senior environments during her time at the WRU. WRU technical director Rhys Long emphasized this appointment as a significant step recognizing the game's growth in Wales, commending Lillicrap's playing experience and her pivotal role in overseeing the player development centres.",
  "summary": "Former captain Siwan Lillicrap is named head of women's coaching and development by the Welsh Rugby Union.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}