Why Alisha and Jasmine Joyce wanted to play domestic rugby in Wales next season

In choosing to leave Bristol Bears and return to Wales, Jasmine and Alisha Joyce made a clear decision: family over career. At least in the short term.

Not in the sense that returning to play on the ‘right’ side of the Severn dramatically hampers their rugby. They will line up in the Celtic Challenge. Both have already done so for the Brython Thunder. International duty, of course, is still in the picture.

The Joyces live in west Wales. In choosing to forego lengthy commutes to Bristol, they will be staying closer to family support now that their young son, Ralphie, has come along. They have chosen family over access to Premiership Women’s Rugby.

The world’s best domestic competition has its perks, namely week-in, week-out fixtures at a high level. The Joyces seem happy to sacrifice that game time to prioritise family while continuing their careers closer to home.

“We’re super excited to come home to Wales,” Jasmine said, in the build-up to the Wales’ upcoming clash against the Barbarians. “We want to grow the game in Wales as well. The fact that we’ve got the Celtic Challenge up and running, two teams in that competing is exciting for us.

“Parc Y Scarlets is where Brython Thunder is based and it’s literally 15 minutes from our house. It’s ideal.

“The older I get, the less time I want to spend in a car so 20 minutes down the road, rather than two-and-a-half hours, is ideal.”

That said, while there is no doubting that the Celtic Challenge is not yet on a par with the PWR as a competitive offering. The Joyces would likely not be moving if the new-ish competition had not reached a certain standard. Much like there is a reason playing talent left Wales, the inverse must be true to start drawing big names back.

“We had a little taste of it coming back last year [with the Thunder], a bite size of what it would be like if we came home,” Alisha said. “The coaching, the girls, the level of the programme, it’s really good here. It swayed our decision and helped make it easier.

“It’s obviously not going to be the same as the PWR, a massively established league. A lot players come from across the world to play in the PWR and it’s for good reason. However, there’s a lot of girls returning home. If you look at Scotland, the likes of Emma Orr, Elliann Clarke have returned home and there’s many more.

“I was born and raised in Llanelli. To be able to come back and play in Parc Y Scarlets is not something I thought would be possible in my career. That means so much to me. It’s really important for me and I think it would be a nice way to have my last few years of playing rugby.”

Jasmine Joyce featured for the Thunder in a Celtic Challenge semi-final against Irish outfit the Wolfhounds earlier this year. It was an instructive outing.

“PWR is an established league but if you look at the different teams that play in the Celtic Challenge, the Wolfhounds and the Clovers, it’s pretty much Ireland split into two teams,” she said. “We got the privilege to play against that team in a semi-final.

“The more people that come home from Scotland, Wales and Ireland, the better the Celtic Challenge will get. We’re only hoping to grow that as well.”

Of course, there is the possibility, be it remote or otherwise, of rejoining the PWR in a roundabout way. Expressions of interest have been invited from professional programmes in the UK and Ireland in regard to expanding the league. Could one of these new franchises, should they come to pass, be a Welsh outfit?

“It would be so good if we could get a team in that PWR,” said Alisha. “Who knows what the future holds, what will be will be but I think that would be a great move for rugby in Wales.”

In choosing to play domestically closer to home, the medium to long-term future has been sorted. Returning to more immediate matters necessitates a focus on the Barbarians this Saturday at Allianz Stadium. The Baa-Baas on the week of a London heatwave. It’s going to be a fun one.

Sean Lynn has opted to blood a string of youngsters in Twickenham. Alisha Joyce is named as a starter, while Jasmine Joyce is not included in the matchday 23. Uncapped wing pair Amy Williams and Kelsie Webster are included in a back three with full-back Nel Metcalfe.

“To play against the Baa-Baas is going to be a great occasion for us,” said Jasmine. “Win or lose, it’s a great thing to be a part of.

“Over the Six Nations, us as a team saw the ball more. We scored a lot more tries than we did in the previous Six Nations. Hopefully we can play a bit like the Baa-Baas, make it enjoyable and have some fun out there.”