Dad's poor geography leads to De Vera's Wales debut
Debutant Jenna De Vera reveals how a misunderstanding led to her Filipino parents settling in west Wales.
Jenna De Vera was one of nine uncapped players named in Wales' Six Nations squad [Huw Evans Agency] We have all taken a wrong turn or misread a map. But what if that contributed to your daughter becoming an international rugby player? For Jenna De Vera's parents, that has certainly been the case.
The Bristol Bears centre won her first senior cap on Saturday, coming on as a replacement in Wales' 38-7 Six Nations defeat by France at Cardiff Arms Park. De Vera described it as "the most perfect day ever", but had it not been for her father's oversight many years before, it may never have come. "My parents met in Saudi Arabia.
They were both born in the Philippines and moved there to find better work," De Vera explained. "Dad saw an advert saying there were jobs in the UK. "He saw all these places which he assumed to be streets in London, but when he landed in Heathrow, he got on the bus and three hours goes by, four hours..
he's like 'where on earth are we? '" It turned out to be Llanelli, where the family settled and where De Vera was born 22 years ago. Spectre of England looms large for Wales in Six Nations France cruise past Wales with second-half power show Rugby family Growing up in west Wales, De Vera credits rugby for playing a "pivotal role" in connecting her dual identities.