When Jess Elbeck took a call from Gloucester players Tom Hudson and Charlie Beckett last summer, she wasn’t too sure what to expect.

The duo had not long since taken over as coaches of Cheltenham Ladies rugby team, a set-up that Elbeck had been an important part of for the previous three seasons.

But if Elbeck was nervous, she needn’t have been.

“They asked me if I’d like to be captain this season,” said Elbeck, “I really wasn’t expecting it. I’d only been playing rugby since 2014.”

“They said they wanted someone who was committed, friendly, reliable and a good leader. I felt 10ft tall and it was a bit of an honour.”

It wasn’t too long before she was calling them back to say she’d love to do the job, and since making that call Elbeck and Cheltenham have hardly taken a backward step.

Cheltenham are flying high in Championship 1 South – which is one level below the Premiership – and Elbeck said of the captaincy: “It’s been great, it’s been a really good experience and we’re having a great season.”

So what sort of captain is she?

“I try to lead by example,” she said. “I’m always in the thick of things and try to bring a big energy to games. I always like to make the first hit, I want to be somebody who walks the talk.”

And those who know 23-year-old Elbeck won’t be surprised by her success this season.

Originally from Leeds, she spent her early years playing hockey, netball and football. Although reluctant to say so, she has always been good at sport but it wasn’t until she started at the University of Gloucestershire three-and-a-half years ago that she played rugby for the first time.

“I’d never picked up a rugby ball before,” chuckled the one-time law student, “and the only reason I came to the University of Gloucestershire was to play rugby!”

So why the fascination with the oval ball game?

“I just knew I’d love it,” she said, “and I’ve never taken to another sport like I’ve taken to rugby. I was willing to learn and I just loved it from the start. I joined Cheltenham and I’ve never taken to another club like I have Cheltenham, it’s really special.”

So what were those early days like?

“I’m quite small and when I first started they put me on the wing – I think they thought that’s where I could do least damage,” she laughed. “But I always wanted to be where the ball was so they tried me at 7 and I’ve never looked back.”

She certainly hasn’t, but what is it about the game she loves so much?

“I love contact,” she said, “that’s my number one thing. I think my strength is my defence, my tackling.”

And while that is a vital requirement for an openside, this season she has added another string to her bow because she has been weighing in with a few tries as well.

“In my first two seasons I didn’t really score any tries,” she said, “but Tom and Charlie have taken us back to basics and taught us how to attack. They want everyone to be a rugby player and not to be position specific. We try to play an expansive game.”

And while her own game is flourishing, Elbeck is just as keen to see the team succeed as well.

There is no promotion to the Premiership this season, nor for the next two seasons either, but a place in the top flight is the club’s medium term aim.

“That is something we’re preparing for,” said Elbeck, “although we would need to be running a 2nd XV as well. Our league is very competitive but at the same time we’re very club based. We’re a social team and that is important to us.”

Elbeck’s love of all things rugby shines through with pretty much every word she utters about the sport.

“I wish I’d played earlier,” she said. “I wish I’d played when I was a kid but the opportunities just weren’t there. It wasn’t until we won the World Cup in 2014 that everything changed, that did wonders for women’s rugby.”

These days she doesn’t play any sport other than rugby and when the league season finishes at the end of March, she certainly won’t be putting her feet up for a few months.

“We go straight into 7s,” she laughed, “we don’t really stop.”

Elbeck is very settled in Cheltenham these days – which is very good news for the club – and she has ambitions to join the fire service in the not too distant future. And judging by her sporting CV, she’ll make a great success of that too.