Alex Callender has just about completed her first week as a full-time Wales Women player and she can’t hide her pride.

The 21-year-old who made her international debut against France in February 2019 and has since added a further 17 caps to her tally, impressed throughout the recent TikTok Women’s Six Nations campaign. Her all-action performances helped Wales finish third in the competition, their best position since 2009, and earned her the Player of the Match accolade in the final game against Italy.

The Worcester Warriors flanker is one of 17 players to receive a new, full-time contract until the end of the year to cover the Rugby World Cup period, taking the number on WRU deals to 31.

She said, “It’s just an absolute honour. In the Six Nations I just really wanted to put my hand up for a contract, even a part-time one.

“This is just the start, it’s world cup year and I’m just really excited to get started and see how far I can go now that I’m training full-time.”

First on Alex’s list of people to call with the news was her mum Donna.

Alex said “I told my mam first, she’s my No 1 fan. She was so chuffed. To say I’m a full-time rugby player, they are so excited to see how good I can be. My family are just so proud of me.”

Donna has been fighting her own battles with breast cancer recently, which puts everything into perspective for Alex.

She added, “Life’s so short. You have to grab every opportunity when it comes. For my mam it’s really nice to see me do something I love and thrive off every opportunity I get.”