Cuthbert’s amazing rise to Lions leader

Nothing illustrates the speed of Alex Cuthbert’s rise to prominence more than the fact that he was losing a Sevens match against a team called The Smurfs on the day of the second Lions Test against South Africa in 2009.

It is the type of memory that invites an opportunity to pause, and for Cuthbert, to reflect on quite how far he has come.

Now seen as an indispensable part of the Welsh side, the 23-year-old was still waiting for a break when the Lions were in South Africa four years ago. He had accepted an invitation from the Marauders Academy to play in a Sevens tournament in Bath which happened to take place on June 27, while that game was on.