By Adam Evans
LLANDOVERY prop Dino Dallavalle surprised Wales centre Hannah Jones by popping the question to her following Wales Women’s final autumn international at the Cardiff Arms Park last Sunday.
The result didn’t go Wales’ way with them losing out to Canada 7-24, but their engagement inevitably put a smile on the faces of many despite the result.
The couple, who both attended Amman Valley Comprehensive, have been together for seven years.
And Dallavelle emphasised how much of a role rugby has played in bringing them closer as a couple.
Dallavalle said: “I actually went with school on a rugby tour to Canada and I went with a lot of my friends but a lot of the year below went aswell.
“Hannah was friends with a lot of the boys in the year below, she was quite sporty in school.
“She found me when I was living in Italy and basically, she found me when she seen the photos when I was on tour with them in Canada.
“Hannah messaged me from then, started chatting and it went from there. Even though I was in the same school as her, our paths never crossed.
“From the start she knew I was quite committed to my rugby, and she was just starting to play herself.
“I think what brought us together was the fact that we both love rugby, and both knew the commitments to rugby we have.
“We just supported each other early on in our rugby careers, of course I have been very supportive of her journey to where she is now.”
Dallavalle revealed his thoughts prior to asking the all-important question, aswell as the role that Wales manager Hannah John played in making the couple’s special moment exactly that.
🍾 What a way to end your autumn international campaign than with a surprise wedding proposal !
Congratulations to the happy couple #WalesWomen centre @HannahJones_12 and @llandoveryrfc prop @DinoDall
Llongyfarchiadau mawr 🙌💍🏉 pic.twitter.com/9IgxBEBniX— Welsh Rugby Union 🏉 (@WelshRugbyUnion) November 22, 2021
“It was very nice to propose in front of all her friends, but it was quite nerve-racking doing it in front of the people that were left in the stands and in front of the cameras.
“I wasn’t going to tell anybody, I was going to just jump on the pitch but then on the Friday night, if I was to jump on, I probably would get stopped.
“I had to contact Hannah John and I told her what I was going to do. She loved it and she basically said, ‘I will sort it, leave it to me’.
“She set up the interview, told me when to come on and she did a good job with it.”
