Such was her amazing start to life in a Scotland shirt it can be easy to forget that Alex Stewart has only really been around this level of rugby for a few months.
Like most of us this time last year she was watching WXV 2 at home on television while now, 12 months on, she is in the thick of it and getting ready to start in the number seven jersey versus Japan (1pm UK time on Saturday in the Athlone Sports Stadium and live on BBC iPlayer and RugbyPass TV).
The Corstorphine Cougars and Edinburgh Rugby openside starred during the Guinness Women’s Six Nations when she was just 19 turning 20 and, while she now has seven caps, this is all new to her while she is one of the few Scotland players out in South Africa who is not a full-time pro with the Liberton High School former pupil now in her second year of a law degree at the University of Edinburgh.
“There has been huge growth for her as a player and as a person in recent months,” Scotland head coach Bryan Easson said.
“She is quite a quiet person, but she is coming out of her shell and she is learning what an environment like this is like and it is important to highlight that we have a group of professionals now, a lot of the girls are professional 100 percent, but Alex isn’t.
“She is doing law, she is finishing training out here in South Africa and heading down to the foyer of the hotel and she is studying away. She is diligent in her law studies and she is diligent in her rugby and to see somebody working so hard like that both on and off the pitch is testament to her as an individual – she’s been exceptional since she came in and it will be exciting to see her play on Saturday.”
In the back-row for this game Stewart will be teaming up with captain Rachel Malcolm with 50 caps and No.8 Jade Konkel with 64 caps as Scotland look to build on last week’s win versus Italy.
The skipper Malcolm said: “I’m really looking forward to it.
“It’s quite a balanced back-row,Alex is an out-and-out seven, a workhorse who is just everywhere whereas Jade and myself are probably more similar. We enjoy the physical battle, Jade in particular is one of the more abrasive No.8s, so it’s brilliant to see her back starting.
“And it’s really exciting having Evie [Gallagher] on the bench to come on and do the incredible stuff that she’s been doing in a starting shirt for Scotland and for Bristol.”
As well as Stewart and Konkel, loosehead prop Leah Bartlett, second-row Louise McMillan, centre Lisa Thomson and winger Rhona Lloyd have come into the team for this one with Meryl Smith moving from 12 to 13.
Second-row Eva Donaldson has earned a bench spot.
Three of the players coming in to start in this one Bartlett (36), Konkel (65) and Lloyd (51) have 151 caps between them and Easson added: “It’s great to have such experience coming in, but there has been a change recently in that it doesn’t matter what has gone before it is all about current performance which will push everyone to be better and what is pushing us on to the next level.
“So having 150 plus caps in those three players coming back in is massive for us, but it is also massive for them to put in performances.”
Scotland women’s matchday squad for the WXV 2 clash with Japan
15 Chloe Rollie (Ealing Trailfinders) (68)
14 Rhona Lloyd (Les Lionnes du Stade Bordelais) (51)
13 Meryl Smith (Bristol Bears) (20)
12 Lisa Thomson (Ealing Trailfinders) (62)
11 Francesca McGhie (Leicester Tigers) (15)
10 Helen Nelson (Loughborough Lightning) (63)
9 Caity Mattinson (Ealing Trailfinders) (25)
1 Leah Bartlett (Leicester Tigers) (36)
2 Lana Skelson (Bristol Bears) (72)
3 Christine Belisle (Loughborough Lightning) (38)
4 Louise McMillan (Saracens) (56)
5 Sarah Bonar (Harlequins) (40)
6 Rachel Malcolm (Loughborough Lightning, C) (50)
7 Alex Stewart (Corstorphine Cougars) (7)
8 Jade Konkel (Harlequins) (64)
Subs
16 Elis Martin (Loughborough Lightning) (13)
17 Anne Young (Loughborough Lightning) (13)
18 Lisa Cockburn (Gloucester-Hartpury) (32)
19 Eva Donaldson (Leicester Tigers) (13)
20 Evie Gallagher (Bristol Bears) (30)
21 Leia Brebner-Holden (Gloucester-Hartpury/Cheltenham Tigers) (3)
22 Emma Orr (Bristol Bears) (22)
23 Lucia Scott (Hartpury University/Gloucester Hartpury) (3)
Alex Stewart is pictured training in South Africa, thanks to Scottish Rugby
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