Alex Matthews currently plays flanker for Gloucester-Hartpury Women and is a well known name in English rugby union. Her international career began in 2011, when she made her debut for the England U20 squad. She plays women’s sevens and 15s.
Born on 3 August 1993, Matthews’ rugby career started when she was a toddler. She began playing rugby at the age of three and subsequently trained with the boys’ U12 team at Camberley.
Matthews graduated from Roehampton University in 2014 with a degree in Sports Psychology. She was playing for the England sevens team at the time and turned professional while completing her degree.
A dedicated and conscientious player, Matthews continually holds herself to the highest standards. After undergoing major hip surgery, she returned to the England 15s setup two weeks before the selection process was finalised for the 2014 Rugby World Cup. As a result, she was chosen to represent England in the tournament.
England’s victory over Canada in the final of the 2014 Rugby World Cup made Matthews one of the youngest England players to lift the trophy. In fact, she celebrated her 21st birthday while in camp. She also made an appearance in the final.
Matthews made the squad once more in 2017 and played every single match during the Rugby World Cup. She was also named Player of the Match after England’s game against the USA. One year later, she competed in sevens during the 2018 Commonwealth Games, where she took home bronze.
Fast forward to 2020 and there were two big milestones in Matthews’ career. First, she left Richmond and joined Worcester Warriors; second, she won the 2020 Women’s Six Nations. One year later she was selected to represent England during the 2021 Rugby World Cup.
The English, who are chasing a sixth successive championship title but a first with their Kiwi coach in charge, turned on the style last Saturday to blitz Ireland 88-10 in front of a near-50,000 attendance at Twickenham.
That’s when covering the world number ones gets less fun, because people ask you how work was, and there are gasps, winces, and - worst of all - amusement when you tell them the result. 88 - 10 is a terrible look for the game - a cricket score - and it does precisely nothing to entice new fans.
England Women's 