The 20-year-old speedster is the only Welsh player to make an otherwise all-England GB squad in what is the first appearance of rugby sevens at the Olympic Games.
Joyce will become the first Welsh rugby player to compete at the Olympics but will be closely followed by Sam Cross and James Davies when the men’s competition begins next week.
The slight-of-frame wing from St David’s has made a spectacular rise to the top in a relatively short time. She has yet to play for Wales at international level in the extended version of the game and has only played four sevens tournaments for her country before making the initial extended training squad for Rio last year.
When she left the Wales Centre of Excellence for GB’s training base in Guildford she and Laurie Harries admitted they were entering the unknown. Injury prevented Harries from forcing her way into the squad but Joyce’s determination, eye for a gap and finishing prowess ensured she was one of the chosen few to make the cut for the final 12 spots available. Not a bad achievement for someone who made an inauspicious start to her regional career, as Scarlets head coach Daryl Morgan recalls.
“Jasmine came into the Scarlets Ladies Under 18s programme when she was 15. Initially she didn’t make a massive impact and was picked on the bench for her first regional game against the Ospreys on the training pitch at Parc y Scarlets. Indeed when she did go on it was in the forwards because she was so easy to lift in the lineout!”
However it didn’t take long for Morgan to realise that Joyce possessed a little bit of razzle dazzle when her upright running technique caught the eye.
“The first inclination I had that there was something there was in the next training session. We were going through some basic patterns with Jaz on the wing and I noticed the she was hardly touching the ground as she ran,” he said.
“We knew she was quick but she was really raw in her skill set. Nevertheless I decided to play her on the wing in the next round against the Dragons. The rest as they say is history, she ran in three tries, but it could quite easily have been five or six.
“From that point on Jasmine’s name was one of the first on the team sheet and she was an integral part of the Scarlets Under 18s multi-championship winning squad.
Joyce’s rise to the top had begun and Morgan was quick to utilise the teenager’s skill set at senior level.
“I had no hesitation in putting her straight into the senior Scarlets squad when the time was right and she made an instant impact both on and off the pitch,” said Morgan.
“Her enthusiasm is infectious. She has an incredible work ethic and her desire to constantly improve her skill set and rugby knowledge is second to none.
“Jaz’s development from the young girl who struggled catching a rugby ball to the athlete she is today is a testament to her and her unquenching desire to learn and improve.
“But the best thing for me is that she’s still the same person now as she was when she first came into the Scarlets programme. She’s an incredible role model and aspirational figure to the players currently playing for the U18s.”
WRU National Women’s rugby manager Caroline Spanton has no doubt Joyce can be the pied piper of girls and women’s rugby in Wales.
“Jasmine will have a significant impact on helping raise the profile of girl’s rugby across Wales,” she said.
“The impact will be across women and girls of all ages who will now be able to visibly see what is possible if they work and train hard and set ambitious goals.
“Jasmine is an incredible athlete, determined, focussed and charismatic – retaining a smile on her face nearly all the time, all traits that will encourage other girls to pick up a rugby ball and have some fun and also influence parents to support their daughters to get involved in rugby.
“With the Welsh nation being able to watch and support Team GB compete in rugby 7s on TV during this summer’s Olympics I am hoping it will spark a new level of interest in the game, change and challenge perceptions once associated with women’s rugby for the positive, as we will see athletic, fit, fast rugby being played with high levels of skill and mental aptitude – this will be a game changer.”
Her sentiments are echoed by WRU Head of Performance, Geraint John – no stranger himself to sevens having coached Canada and Australia on the World Series.
“If you look at where the women’s game is going, with Jas the athlete that she is, hopefully her performances will attract young players and young girls to play rugby,” he said.
“You never know in four years’ time in Tokyo, maybe that number of Welsh players has increased to two or three or even more.”
