During the pandemic, it was the done thing to clap outside your house to show your appreciation for all the NHS staff going above and beyond the call of duty. Thankfully, Covid has now loosened its grip on society, but registered nurse Carys Cox has still been going the extra mile to juggle 12-hour shifts with playing top-level rugby in different countries. A feat that is worth a round of applause.

The growth in the women’s game means that Cox has, for now at least, transitioned into full-time rugby with Trailfinders in the Allianz Premiership Women’s Rugby league  – which you can watch on TNT Sports with the semi-finals this weekend – and Wales. When she qualified as a nurse from Cardiff University, Cox worked part-time, meaning 12-hour shifts on a Sunday and Monday in the Welsh capital before jumping in the car and driving to London for Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday training at Trailfinders in Ealing.

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She’d play on the Saturday and then hit the motorway again to get back across the Severn Bridge in time for work. Then the cycle would start over. It’s enough to make you tired just hearing it. So just how did she do both? “On reflection, it was probably way too much but it was 100 per cent worth it,” Cox tells Rugby World.

“At the time I was very motivated for both – I still am – but I was very motivated to make sure I made it work with both nursing and rugby. Trailfinders were good in terms of managing my load when I needed to and I managed myself in terms of nutrition and sleep, making sure I was alright to perform.

“Now I’m just prioritising rugby, it’s way better. I feel brand-new most of the time!”

Cox is on the mend after shoulder surgery in the autumn and is eager to play some part in the Six Nations for Wales. But it’s not just her own body that needed some running repairs after racking up the miles on and off the pitch. “My car was broken by the end. My Golf had done so many miles that I had to get a new battery this year!”

Carys Cox of Wales looks to take on Komachi Imakugi and Mana Furuta of Japan during the WXV 2 2024 match between Wales and Japan at Athlone Sports Stadium on October 11, 2024 in Cape Town, South Africa. (Photo by Johan Rynners – World Rugby/World Rugby via Getty Images)

Rugby with nursing: Cox’s family connection

You could be forgiven for thinking Cox’s path to nursing was virtually inevitable given that her mum Tracy, auntie Deb (her dad’s sister) and two cousins are all part of the profession. “I’d actually tried to avoid nursing as long as I could because there are so many nurses in my family,” Cox says.

“I thought, ‘I’m not following that route, I don’t want to be a sheep!’ But it turned out that I really wanted to do it too.” Halfway through her first degree in sports and exercise science at Cardiff Met, Cox applied for nursing at Cardiff.

She then made what appears a potentially controversial cross-city switch. “I think it was as they are massive rivals! But I only played rugby for Met, so they definitely weren’t too salty about it.”

Born and bred in England, Cox started playing rugby aged six in Hungerford where her parents live. Her dad Rob – through whom she qualifies for Wales – started a summer tag team which turned into a junior side and kickstarted his daughter’s burgeoning career. Cox progressed to the Newbury and Reading combined side and to Berkshire county, where she starred alongside Trailfinders team-mate and England star Abby Dow.

She began taking rugby seriously at 15, which paid off when she made it into England U18 and U20. However, it was always the red shirt she dreamed of wearing. “When I got into England U20 – you’re not going to turn down any opportunity to play international rugby. But my dream from a young age was always to play for Wales. There’s pictures of me in Welsh shirts at Wales games. I always knew all the Welsh men’s players when I was younger and never knew any of the English ones. I always had that love for Wales.”

When she was at uni and playing for Worcester, Cox also had a season when she simultaneously played for the Dragons as they had a Welsh women’s set-up at the time. That meant she was playing as many as three games a week. “When I think back to it, it was mental,” she says. “But as a 19-year-old it was great! I was always playing and you didn’t have a day off. I loved it and your body can take it at that time in your life.”

Growing up, Cox’s idol was Shane Williams and she adopted the No 11 as her favourite number in honour of the wing who could beat you in a phone box and won games in the blink of an eye. So after she got the call from the Wales coaches to join the set-up in 2023, it was fitting that she made her debut against the USA on the wing. You guessed it, wearing that special No 11.

“It was a pretty cool full-circle moment. I’d never played wing before though! It was a bit daunting but the coaches and players gave me confidence. It was definitely easier to move from centre to wing than the other way around.”

Cox found her home as a nurse on the high-care neuro ward caring for patients with brain injuries, so did that change how she views head knocks in rugby? “It’s definitely something to think about. Obviously we’d have the severe end of the spectrum – you wouldn’t get minor concussions on my ward but it does make you realise just how important your brain is. The effect that it can have on your day-to-day life is huge. It’s food for thought.”

The World Cup in England later this year is the big target for Cox. Although it’s not strictly on home soil, it will feel almost as good as. “You’re going to get more eyes on the women’s game in Wales as well. I hope it’s going to increase the future funding and investment in the Welsh game. The tournament will be absolutely massive for women’s rugby in general.”

TNT Sports is the home of Premiership Women’s Rugby, with live coverage of over 20 matches during the 2024/25 season.

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