England captain Meg Jones advocates for fertility support

Meg Jones, captain of the England women's rugby union team, called for Red Roses players to have access to fertility support and egg freezing. Speaking to BBC Sport, Jones stated, "Why should my opportunity to have a family be taken away from me because I want to pursue my career?" Jones disclosed that she has started her fertility journey with her fiancée after visiting a clinic to check their egg count. The 29-year-old expressed that she is an "open book" on personal matters and wishes to "share her journey" while discussing her upcoming wedding and family planning.

"We were looking to freeze, but actually the advice was we don’t need to freeze yet so we can probably wait till after the wedding," said Jones, adding that their plans included conceiving after their marriage. The Red Roses boast one of the best maternity policies in international women's sport, with two World Cup winners recently having given birth and two more expecting.

When asked about providing fertility packages for England players, a Rugby Football Union (RFU) spokesperson remarked: "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."

There is no specific policy regarding financial compensation for fertility treatment for England players, but it is understood that discussions at the RFU are ongoing, and such a policy could be introduced in the future. Currently, players are entitled to a week of paid leave per treatment cycle for appointments.

Jones first suggested that the Red Roses should adopt similar policies while appearing on "The Good, The Scaz & The Rugby" podcast, referencing the Spanish football federation's announcement that it would cover egg freezing costs for its international women’s players. In August, Chelsea women’s team announced a partnership with a fertility company to provide workshops, treatments, counselling, and assessments for their players, and it was reported in The Observer that the fund set up by Chelsea could cover the costs of the entire squad freezing their eggs.

Before England's match with Australia on Saturday, Jones told BBC Sport: "I wouldn’t have thought it was something that we were lacking from maybe a governing point of view, but now I think about it I’m like, yeah, actually, I haven’t got that opportunity to go and create a family and be guided on. It’s definitely been flagged with our group. Again, you learn so much from other teams… and I think the more we can empower women the better for the game as a whole, and better for women in general."