As well as there being three debutantes on Saturday for Scotland during the 24-19 win over Wales, loosehead prop Leah Bartlett was making a milestone 50th appearance for her country.
It didn’t start too well for the 27-year-old at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff as she was yellow carded when Wales score their first try in the Women’s Six Nations round one clash, but she then returned to the fray to make a big impact.
Ever since she came into the Scotland set up and earned a first cap in 2020 versus Spain, Bartlett has been a solid performer for her country.
She has been to two Rugby World Cups, two WXV 2 tournaments and won one and scored seven tries for good measure.
As a senior rugby player, she made her breakthrough at Loughborough Lightning, making 56 appearances after appearing in the club’s first ever fixture in 2017.
She moved to Leicester Tigers in 2023 and then joined Sale Sharks at the start of this season.
Bartlett has her parents to thank for her Scottish qualification.
In a previous interview she explained: “My mum as born on Lewis and my dad is from just outside Inverness, so they are both very Scottish.
“Dad is a vet, so they moved down south [to Loughborough where the Bartlett clan grew up] and he has his own practice now.
“My parents and my siblings have been super supportive of my rugby and I started playing the sport at local club Loughborough Town, took it on at Loughborough University, started playing for the Lightning and haven’t looked back really.”
Scotland cap 217 Bartlett, who is the youngest of seven siblings, told Scottish Rugby on Friday before the Wales game: “I think when you start playing you probably don’t think too much about getting to a milestone like 50 caps because it feels quite far away, but it is special.
“I haven’t really giving it a whole lot of thought because there’s been a lot of training and build up going on, but, yeah, it’s kind of getting a bit real now that I am getting to that number.
“We are really enjoying this new exciting brand of rugby that we’re striving to play.
“I think the 50 caps will maybe be something that I think about post-game and I am very excited, but I am just trying to stay chilled.”
50-capper Leah Bartlett is pictured in action versus Wales – thanks to Scottish Rugby
The Women’s Six Nations is here and the 2026 event runs from April 11 to May 17 and, between April 6 and May 20, GH Media will be covering Scotland’s campaign and the wider tournament – keep an eye out for content and thanks to everyone who supports GH Media’s work within women’s rugby