Catrina Nicholas-McLaughlin hopes to inspire her daughter and Wales’ next generation through coaching career.
Catrina Nicholas-McLaughlin had a successful playing career as an international back-row forward, but it as a coach that she hopes to inspire the next generation of Wales players.
“A huge goal of mine was allowing myself and the WRU to show that I can be a mother and a coach at the same time, and can marry those two successfully,” she said.
Nicholas-McLaughlin is now Wales Under-18s Head Coach, having progressed through the men’s pathway system with Welsh Colleges, and a lecturer and Assistant Rugby Coach at Coleg y Cwmoedd, in the Rhondda Valley.
“Seeing the impact you can have on players, not just on the field but off it too, is the reason I coach,” Nicholas-McLaughlin told World Rugby.
Catrina spoke about her involvement in the Gallagher High Performance Academy, increasing her understanding of coaching at elite level and of how her peers balance rugby commitments with raising a young family.
“Allowing my daughter to have role models and break down gender barriers; allowing her to see that she can be anything she wants to be, regardless of her gender, is a huge aspiration of mine and I really believe I have been able to achieve that on this journey.”
“The Academy has been a really great learning experience and has crystalised that coaching in the professional game is a career I want to pursue.”