But now that she is up and running with Wales in the 2024 Guinness Women's Six Nations, she is determined to make the most of her opportunity - starting with the round three clash against Ireland on Saturday.
The winger didn’t feature in round one, when Wales lost 20-18 to Scotland at Cardiff Arms Park, but she came off the bench late on against England at Ashton Gate a fortnight ago for her first Wales appearance since she started their 36-10 victory over Italy in last year's Championship.
A few months after that match, she tore her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) while she was preparing for this season with her club, Bristol Bears. It ruled her out of action for nine months and meant she missed the inaugural WXV1 in New Zealand.
Her comeback was long and arduous, but the thought of pulling on the Welsh and Bristol Bears jerseys again kept her focused, and despite the injury she was rewarded with a full-time professional contract by the Welsh Rugby Union in August 2023.
“It's definitely a tough injury because it's so long and you've got to keep engaged in the whole process,” Keight told us. “I saw it as an opportunity to work on the things that I wouldn't necessarily have had the time to work on.
“There was an aim to get some game time in Bristol before getting back to the Six Nations and having the Six Nations in my eyeline was definitely a big motivator in my rehab.
“In terms of the ACL injury, the contract meant that I could full-time rehab which was major. I would probably have found having to do that alongside a job difficult, but having the full-time focus on it was definitely something that aided my recovery and helped me in that journey of getting back.
“It’s been fantastic coming back. I didn’t play Scotland and was a late call-up for the bench against England. It went better than I could have imagined. I felt that I made an impression and that was good for my confidence.”
METEORIC RISE
Keight’s injury was her first major setback in a sport that she took naturally to, despite starting later than most. It has gone quickly and means she has to pinch herself when she thinks about the heights she has reached.
The 26-year-old’s mother was a netball coach, so she was naturally drawn to that sport, and while she played “every sport going,” and lived in Wales since infancy, rugby didn’t feature until she began a degree in Criminology at the University of Swansea.
There she built a good rapport with her teammates, found coaches that believed in her, liked that the sport was for all shapes and sizes, but above all it was the contact element that she enjoyed - something conspicuous by its absence in netball.
Keight progressed through several clubs in Wales, and then earned a call-up to the Wales Sevens team. As she was born in Oxford, where her parents were based with the army at the time, England, theoretically at least, was an option. However, being brought up in Tenby from the age of two and knowing that both sides of her family are Welsh, meant the red jersey was the only option.
In 2019 she made her Welsh debut, and then in 2020 made the move over the Severn Bridge to join the Welsh contingent at Bristol Bears, meaning she was in familiar surrounds when she ran on against England in round two.
“It was fantastic,” Keight said. “We play a few of our club games there each season, so we know it well and it was funny seeing some of our players' pictures up on the wall.
“It is somewhere that I’m confident of playing well. There’s always a good atmosphere at Ashton Gate, and I had friends and family there as well, which added to the occasion.
“We’ve got a good group of us together with the Bears. It is a world-class environment with world-class facilities. The coaches are fantastic, and I’ve come on leaps and bounds and developed hugely there.”
IRELAND CALLING
Despite those familiar surrounds, and an improved performance compared to 2023, Keight and Wales lost 46-10.
It means that both they and Ireland are chasing their first victory of the tournament when they meet at Virgin Media Park in Cork.
Ireland are a team that hold fond memories for Keight. She made her Wales debut against them in a 2019 Autumn international, and then made her Six Nations debut against them in 2021.
Keight’s debut ended in a 15-13 Welsh victory, and she also played the full 80 minutes when they met in 2023, when Wales triumphed 31-5.
Ireland have been bolstered by co-captain Edel McMahon’s return and they showed their quality in a narrow 27-21 defeat to Italy in Round 2.
“It's such a special moment and we won that match in the last of couple of minutes as well,” Keight said. “It was two points in it, which was just amazing, so I remember that day very fondly.
“It is always a close contest, so we have that to look forward to. It’s a fantastic pitch and a ground with a great atmosphere. They’re in a bit of a transition period, but played well against Italy, so it will be good to see where we are. We always want to win and put in a good performance.”
