Joyce ‘shocked’ to receive Wales call-up for Women’s Six Nations only months after giving birth

• Joyce gave birth in November and returned to pitch in March

• Bristol flanker hopes to be role model for next generation

Alisha Joyce returned to the rugby pitch in March just 123 days after giving birth and a week later was named in Wales’s squad for the Women’s Six Nations. The 28-year-old says she was “shocked” to get the call-up after welcoming son Ralphie in November but adds it’s “cool” to be a role model for the next generation of players.

Joyce was the first Wales player to use the governing body’s new performance maternity programme. The back-row, who shares Ralphie with her wife and teammate Jasmine Joyce, has played only 30 minutes of rugby since returning last month in a game for Brython Thunder where she came off the bench.