Keira Bevan has spent a lot of herself Wales career has been pulling the strings from the scrum-half, but now she has been given the keys to the whole orchestra.
Head coach Sean Lynn raised eyebrows by naming the experienced 83-cap international at fly-half ahead of Wales’ WXV Global Series opener against South Africa at Cardiff Arms Park on Friday 18th September.
And judging by what Wales has seen of her so far, Bevan isn’t just stuffing the shirt. She sets her position.
Her move was aided by an impressive finish to the domestic season with Bristol Bears, where her performance against Gloucester Hartpury caught the eye of Wales’ coaching staff.
Head coach Sean Lynn explained: “It was really impressive to watch Keira play for Bristol Bears against Gloucester Hartpury at the end of the season. I thought she did really well in that.”
That performance sparked a conversation between Bevan and the coaching staff – and what started as an idea quickly developed into a real option for Wales.
“Ashley Beck and I talked to her, and she came in at 10,” Lynn added.
“She’s just given us another dimension and edge to our offense and she looks really comfortable.
“Keira will want the ball in her hands. Her shooting game is pretty smart in how she does it as well.”
“Since she was nine, she’s used to being the general and she’s going to be a boss on and off the field, and she’s also going to lead our offense.”
According to the coach, the early signs have been encouraging as her partnership with Seren Lockwood has worked well in training as Wales completes final preparations for the WXV Global Series.
“The partnership worked very well in training, and we will see how we proceed.
“We know what a threat Seren Lockwood was from the Barbarian match and Keira Bevan was very, very good in training.
“As soon as we had that conversation with Keira, everything about her is what’s right for the team and that’s the change of mind I’m seeing in these players.
“The mindset shift is, ‘I’m going to do what’s best for the team,’ and that’s the part that we all drive.”
Bevan herself accepted the challenge, joking that she was becoming something of a “hybrid” as she adapted to the No.10 jersey for the opening match.
“It’s different. I have a lot more time on the ball,” she laughed.
“I’ve had a good chat with Lynny and Ash and that’s basically another string to the bow. If I can help I’m happy to do it, but at the end of the day I still want to fight for a starting nine jersey and with the Lions tour coming up, that’s where I want to play and what I want to stand for.
“It’s a different style of footy. It’s something I’m coming to terms with a little bit, and usually I’m just keeping my head down and focusing on the ruck and the forwards that are in close proximity to me, whereas now there’s a much wider range of vision and I’m listening to the communications coming from outside a bit more.
“Seren (Lockwood) is a classy little player and we get on really well so it’s easy to have those conversations with her and if I can help her in any way to keep her out, I’m more than happy to do that and I want to do that.
“We want to bring out the best in each other and challenge each other, and the relationship is going well so far.”
And while the positional experiment is intriguing, Bevan is under no illusions about what Wales will need when South Africa arrive in Cardiff.
“We’ve got to be first. We’ve seen South Africa cause problems for teams. They’re very innovative and the way they play is really exciting, but at the end of the day if we don’t come out ahead and win the physical battle, it could be a very difficult day at the office on Friday.”
“If we can stay in it for 50 minutes, it will support our fitness to finish strong.”
With 83 caps already to her name, Bevan has already made her mark in a Wales shirt. This one will just look a little different, with the experienced scrum-half coming out at no. 10 for WXV Global Series opener against South Africa this Friday 18 September.
It’s a different role for Bevan, but one she believes can add another dimension to her game – and Wales are ready to see her in action.
