Fourteen year career for Wales comes to an end. 4 January 2011

Multi-talented sportswoman Non Evans who made her name in international rugby, becoming the top points scorer in the world has announced her retirement from the international game.

Just weeks away from the start of the 2011 Six Nations campaign, Non who made her Wales debut in 1996 against Scotland decided the time had come to hang up her boots. She made 87 caps for Wales over her fourteen year international career and scored an amazing 64 tries.

Last year was a huge breakthrough for the Women’s game as England hosted the 2010 Women’s Rugby World Cup; Non represented Wales for the last time playing on the wing instead of her usual position at full-back, in the final pool game defeat to New Zealand.

Non said: “It’s been a very difficult decision… I have decided I’ll be retiring from international rugby. However, I’ll carry on playing Sevens rugby and touch rugby.”

“There are so many changes in the Welsh squad this year, there’s around 10 girls from the World Cup squad have either retired or finished and there’s going to be a lot of new youngsters, new coaches, new backroom staff.”

“So I made the decision I’d rather retire on the top than linger on. I’ve been playing for Wales since 1996 so it’s been my life and every Christmas I come away on a training camp ready for the Six Nations.

“I’m hoping to do a bit of media work and covering some rugby, so hopefully I’ll still be involved with the women in some sort of way.”

Non represented Wales at the 2002 Commonwealth Games in weightlifting and judo and switched sports to compete in wrestling at the 2010 Games in Delhi. She missed out on the chance to win bronze after falling to Nigeria’s Lovina Edward in the semi-finals repechage of the freestyle 55kg category.

Non has not ruled out the possibility of trying to make the Great Britain team for London 2012.

“I still haven’t been given the criteria for 2012 in terms of qualification for Wrestling, so that’s the next thing to see which events I need to enter.

“I was told by my coach that if wanted to be involved with the British squad and wanted to try and qualify for the Olympics I’d have to try and get to Manchester at least once a week to train… and that’s very difficult when you’re in full-time employment.

“But I am going to continue with the wrestling and see what happens over the next six months. My next competition is the British Open Championships on 12 February in Manchester, last year I took Silver at the same event. Internationally, my sights are set on the Commonwealth Championships in Melbourne in July.”