zainab alema is making her mark!nst south africa at last year's world cup. she's breaking down barriers and opponents in a sport played by few muslim women. there's probably other muslim women that want to play sport — and might not even be rugby — i want to do something, step out of their or want to do something, step out of their comfort zone or step out of the box that society puts us in. and i think it's really important to be the change you want to see. i want to leave a legacy. like that's just something i've built in me. what you bring to the table when you're a rugby player — you know, the physicality, the mental strength, the resilience — i feel a lot of those qualities you find in a lot of women. the 31—year—old who wears the hijab feels herfaith has played a large part in her identity within the sport. people look at me and definitely theyjust know that i'm muslim. and i love that and i love that i can bring that to rugby as well. it's that representation i needed to see, whether it's a black woman or musl