One of them was absent from the recent Six Nations and she has now explained why
Alisha Joyce-Butchers and Jasmine Joyce-Butchers are expecting their first child.
The Welsh rugby duo revealed on social media that Alisha is pregnant with a collaborative post. Attached to the post was an image of a baby scan with ‘Coming November 2025’ written on the front.
The couple married in December 2023 at Gellifawr Woodland Retreat in Pembrokeshire, and are now taking the next step together as a couple .
The statement reads as follows: “We’ve been keeping a little secret. At the start of this year Jasmine & I started our IVF journey. Today I am so happy to say that I am 12 weeks pregnant, and so excited for what’s to come.” Sign up to Inside Welsh rugby on Substack to get exclusive news stories and insight from behind the scenes in Welsh rugby.
Alisha, who was an unexplained absentee from the recent Six Nations, will return to the squad under a “controlled manner” under the WRU’s new Performance Maternity Policy for the Wales Women’s squad.
She will therefore miss the upcoming World Cup and two-Test series against Australia.
Speaking after the announcement, Alisha said: “We appreciate there has been interest and speculation around my absence from the Wales Six Nations campaign but now you know why.
“We had the 12-week scan today and now we are excited to share with you all that I am pregnant, and we are having a baby.
“We wanted to let all our family, friends and the Wales squad know before we went public and am sure everybody can relate to that.
“The morning sickness has been a new experience, especially while Jaz has been off playing rugby, but we are both delighted with our special news.”
Jasmine added: “To say we are excited would be an understatement. We have been desperate to share the news but knew we had to wait for obvious reasons.
“It hasn’t been easy keeping it a secret but once we got married, we always planned on starting a family and we both know this is a new chapter in our lives and it does put everything, including rugby, into perspective.”
Belinda Moore, WRU Head of Women’s Rugby, said: “On behalf of the Wales women’s squad, the players, coaches and staff, the WRU and everybody in the Welsh rugby family, we send our heartfelt congratulations and best wishes to both Alisha and Jaz.
“The WRU offers them our full support, and we look forward to welcoming a new Wales supporter to the family.”
