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Laura Delgado: 'It took me a decade, but I believe others will reach 50 sooner than I did'
50 caps, a tour to Japan and the chance to witness my country playing against England again after so long. But let’s start with the milestone…
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Earning my 50th cap was a dream I never imagined would be possible to accomplish when I first started. It’s a true privilege that makes me feel very fortunate. There’s a lot of work behind it, and I know I wouldn’t have achieved it without all the people who have supported me along the way, especially my teammates, my Leonas.
I made my half century appearance in the second Test against Japan and it was an even greater experience as my teammates penned me a special letter. I just hope that those who come after me see it as an achievable goal, that they’re encouraged to dream of reaching 50 or even 70 caps.
It took me a decade, but I believe others will reach it sooner than I did, as Spain currently plays far more games at Test Match level.
As for the tour, although we haven’t won any games, they’ve been valuable opportunities to gain international experience, something we need if we want to keep pushing our boundaries. After every match, we’ve witnessed progress, especially in areas where we were struggling for a while.
We might’ve lost by 90 points against England, but the team showed heart and grit and were able to counter the Red Roses maul in some moments. Although it can look a bit strange that I’m trying to find positives from the last three games, we can’t allow ourselves to feel deflated or to think that we haven’t made any progress. We did, and we are a far better team than we were three weeks ago.
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The squad needed to mature, grow, to be exposed to an ambitious team like Japan and to one of the best nations of all time, England. For me, it was inspiring to watch my teammates go the extra mile and have the desire to do something special.
Alba Capell, for example, was one of the players who was insatiable and kept throwing her body on the line. Others like Lea Ducher and Claudia Cano were also incredible, pulling tricks out of a hat and making a case to deserve a start.
I think they are ready to shock the rugby community when the World Cup starts. For me, their performances signify what it means to be a Leona, to be part of a pride of lionesses who will do everything they can to keep the group from breaking apart.
We have also shown that we can now play the full 80 minutes while maintaining a high level of intensity throughout the match. It is a key aspect if we dream to defy those who are above us in the World Rugby rankings.
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It’s crystal clear to me what we want to do against New Zealand, how we want to compete against Ireland, and how far we are willing to go to bank a win when we face Japan. We know we can really do it. We’re not going to the World Cup just to participate; we’re going with ambition, knowing that if we continue to grow like we did on this tour, we can live up to it.
This group is hungry, committed, and above all, convinced that we haven’t yet reached our full potential.
We have a lot of room for improvement, but that motivates us. We know we can reach a higher level, and we want to achieve it. I know it can all sound a bit cliché, but we learnt so much and came out of these games with a stronger conviction: the belief that we can be the Leonas our fans deserve.
Ah! And before I wrap up, let me tell you about something that Alba Capell gifted me. A necklace with my Leonas (181) player number. It reminds me of how far we’ve all come, and why I keep challenging my body, and why being here matters.
Vamooooss!!
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