DOWNTIME WITH… KELSEY JONES
The Gloucester-Hartpury and Wales hooker on superstitions, riding and a perfect prank
W HAT’S THE funniest thing you’ve seen on the pitch? I’m so childish that I laugh my head off when someone’s bum comes out. Which happens a lot. What really annoys you? Bad drivers. If your house was on fire, what one item would you save? My ‘teddy’, a little dragon that my partner bought me for the Six Nations. I call him Drew and he’s my new prized possession.
Best gift you’ve received? Can I say my niece, Connie? She’s seven and she’s my pride and glory, I love her to bits. A lot of what I do is for her and my family. Who’d be your three dream dinner party guests? I’m mood-dependent. Right now I’d have Kevin Hart for the laughter, Chris Hemsworth for a bit of eye candy, and Zendaya as she’s got good energy and would probably have good conversations. She’s in The Greatest Showman, one of my favourite films. Any phobias? Nothing really scares me but big spiders or snakes creep me out. I just know it would be my luck that I’d be bitten by something poisonous. What was your first job? I was a glass collector for a working men’s club in Neath, where I grew up. I was 16. Best advice you’ve had? To say yes to everything. Never give up an opportunity. My mum told me that.
Any hidden talents? Gosh, I wish I did. I used to ride horses. I did MGA (Mounted Games Association), it’s five players on a team, basically a relay but on horses. Lots of different games, jumping on and off, a lot of fun. My grandfather still has horses.
Who would you like to be stuck in a lift with? Sisilia (Tuipulotu). She would entertain me, she has really good chat and we’d probably TikTok the whole time while waiting to be rescued. Best prank played by a team-mate? At the World Cup, Kayleigh Powell, Bethan Lewis and Carys Williams-Morris did a lot of pranks on each other. The one they ended on was hilarious. Bethan’s mum is South African and Carys did a fake article saying Bethan always wanted to play for South Africa but never had the opportunity and had to settle for Wales. Carys’s boyfriend is really good at technology and the article had the links and everything, it looked so real. And they even got our media lady involved, she was going, “Look Bethan, this article has come out about you…”
Bethan was so confused. “What?! I haven’t spoken to anyone! Where has this come from?” It was so funny. What’s your guilty pleasure? I love crisps and dip. Outside of food, doing a jig
