Scrumqueens 2018 Awards: Part 1

Scrumqueens XV Player of the Year 2018.Gaëlle Hermet (France)Despite having played rugby since she was a young girl, the French captain's rise over the past year or so has been meteoric. Still just 22, she took over the French captaincy from the iconic hooker Gaelle Mignot, and has been superb both as a leader and as a star back-row, leading her team this season to a 6 Nations title and a first ever win over the Black Ferns. From the get-go in February througout the 6 Nations, right through to the very end of the Autumn tests, she has been the game's best and most consistently brilliant player, with her pace, work off the ball and turnover rate, such that she has fast become a test star. Having not even made the World Cup squad of 2017, it has been a remarkable rise, from selection for the 2017 Autumn tests, to the captaincy and all of this year's success. She has described 2018 as a year that will forever be etched in her memory - and if her progress continues, there will be many more to come.