Meg Jones urges England to offer egg-freezing and fertility funding after football announcements
On the Good, the Scaz and the Rugby podcast and in comments to BBC Sport on 15 September 2026, England captain Meg Jones called for the national setup to provide financial support for egg freezing and wider fertility treatment for rugby players. Jones said players should not have to choose between pursuing a professional career and starting a family and urged the Red Roses to adopt similar measures to those introduced in women’s football.
The call follows recent moves in football, where the Spanish federation and Chelsea announced financial assistance for fertility services, prompting wider debate across women’s sport. Jones described those football decisions as “class” and revealed that she and her fiancée, former Trailfinders and sevens player Celia Quansah, have had their egg counts checked. Her admission led England teammate Hannah Botterman to disclose that she and her partner, Wales player Georgia Evans, have been researching IVF; Botterman returned to England action last Saturday for the first time since the 2025 World Cup.
The Spanish federation has partnered with Tambre clinic until 2029 and said its support will extend to all employees; RFEF president Rafael Louzán said: “If Spain and its national teams are the best in the world on the pitch, they must also be the best in matters such as work-life balance.” Chelsea have partnered with a fertility clinic and are offering financial help for treatment and egg-freezing, with the club reported to have enough funding for the entire squad to freeze their eggs if they choose.
Players in women’s rugby have already discussed IVF publicly. Former England captain Marlie Packer and her partner and teammate Rosie Galligan have spoken about their experience, and Wales’ Alisha Joyce-Butchers described the process after her Women’s Six Nations call-up in April, saying: “you have to plan and prepare and it is all very meticulous. Probably one of the best decisions we have made is just to go for it.” Joyce-Butchers and her wife and teammate Jasmine underwent IVF to conceive their son Ralphie, who was born last November.
Georgia Evans outlined what she and Botterman have learned from other players and from researching treatment, saying: “It’s a bit of an eye opener of all of the things you have to go through.” Evans added: “All of the things you have to put in place for it, it’s not a happy accident that just happens unfortunately for us. But it is something we have looked into for the future. I think all the progression within sport itself, in women’s sport in general and all the support that’s got behind it and all of the attention it is getting is amazing because it is another step forward to allow us as elite athletes to plan for motherhood. Rugby is only such a small time frame in your life and for that it is such a bigger thing to look forward to, after rugby or during as you have seen with so many incredible women at the moment. Me and Hannah are in two different teams so again that’s a new dynamic to look at and what does that look like? We both feel very supported with [Sean] Lynn and management being amazing and I know she feels the same with England.”
The Rugby Football Union already has a maternity policy used by players including Abbie Ward, Lark Atkin-Davies and Zoe Aldcroft, and it offers a week of paid leave per fertility treatment cycle for those receiving treatment and for those attending appointments. The RFU also said it is open-minded about exploring further support but England do not yet have financial provision for egg freezing or fertility treatment; a spokesperson said: “We work hard to support players in the decisions they make around fertility and family planning and are proud to have been at the forefront of industry-leading support in this area. We already have comprehensive maternity and parental policies in place and are always open to exploring how that support can evolve.”
On the field, Jones led the Red Roses to a 39th consecutive win against Australia in their WXV Global Series opener last Saturday, overcoming a slow start and sustaining a black eye in the match. She said of their next opponents: “Always excited to play them. It is always an amazing battle so yeah very much looking forward to getting back up, regrouping and going again.”
England travel to Sandy Park this weekend to face Canada, their opponents from last year’s World Cup final, in the next match of the WXV Global Series.