England forward Abbie Ward has announced she is pregnant with her first child.
The 29-year-old Bristol Bears player was part of the England team who were runners-up at the 2022 World Cup.
In a post on Instagram, she said: “I can’t wait to have my mini-me pitch side next season and show that athletes can be mums too.”
The former Harlequins and DMP Sharks player joined Bristol in 2021 and is married to coach Dave Ward.
Their baby is due in the summer, and Abbie Ward said she would continue to “train hard” and give her “full support to the Red Roses and Bristol Bears”.
Ward made her England debut in 2015 and has helped the team to four successive successive Six Nations titles.
She becomes the first contracted England woman to become pregnant since the Red Roses went professional in 2019.
England’s contracted women are all on one-year deals, which come to an end in the summer depending on selection for the following season.
The Rugby Football Union does not have a bespoke maternity policy for players, though it is expected to announce one soon.
Contracted players are currently eligible for the RFU’s pre-maternity policy, introduced in September 2020, but the governing body has recognised the need to “formalise” a plan for post-birth.
Other unions have developed policies for new mothers who wish to return to play after birth – in New Zealand, players with a child aged under one are given £8,000 to support costs for a carer to travel with them and their baby.
