ALISHA REVEALS CONTRACT JOY
FORMER Scarlets flanker Alisha Butchers has spoken of her delight at being one of Wales’s first full-time professional women players.
The 32-year-old was revealed last week as one of the 12 who have been handed full-time contracts by the Welsh Rugby Union.
Butchers started playing mixed rugby at the age of six for mixed mini and junior teams at Bynea and Llanelli Wanderers, before playing for Carmarthen Quins Girls and Penybanc.
She played for the Scarlets and Wales at regional and international age-grade level before moving to Worcester and then Bristol.
“I tried other sports but rugby has always been my passion,” said Butchers, who won the first of her 32 caps against Ireland in 2016.
“It has given me so much despite the ups and downs you encounter along the way.
“Rugby has allowed me to grow as a person, enabled me to travel the world and be the person I am today.
“Injury is always a factor, but having a positive attitude and good support system has allowed me to be here today, which I wouldn’t have thought possible a year ago.
“I couldn’t have got through the tough times and be here today without my family.
“Now I have the chance to see what I can do in a full-time programme.”
Butchers has put a job with Active Carmarthenshire on hold.
“My employers have been so understanding and flexible, allowing me to take unpaid leave for a year to put everything into this,” she added.
“I love that job too and I’m so grateful to have that to fall back on, but my whole focus now will be on making myself the best athlete I can be for the World Cup.”
Centre Hannah Jones, who also has 32 caps to her name, started playing mixed rugby in primary school in Brynaman.
“My family are very rugby-orientated, lived and breathed rugby, and I’m very grateful for their support,” she said.
“I did all sports growing up and it was only when I got picked up for regional under-18s that I had to focus on rugby, but all the other sports definitely helped too.
“It’s an honour to be able to take up this contract, more time for skills, fitness, analysis, recovery.”
Other former Scarlets to have been handed contracts are wings Lisa Neumann and Jasmine Joyce and scrum-half Ffion Lewis.
Joyce, who also represented Team GB at the Olympics, said: “It’s going to make a huge difference for 12 players to be full-time.
“It’s just what we need as a squad moving into the Six Nations and then the World Cup.”
The other players on the list are No. 8 Siwan Lillicrap, scrum-half Keira Bevan, hooker Carys Phillips, props Gwenllian Prys and Donna Rose, flyhalf Elinor Snowsill and lock Natalia John.