Lisa Neumann weighs London life against Wales return as club future stays unresolved

Lisa Neumann remains without a club for next season after leaving Harlequins, with the Wales wing admitting she is still weighing up offers and has yet to reach a decision on where she will play her rugby.

The 32-year-old spent two seasons at the Premiership Women’s Rugby club but made just one appearance last term as Harlequins missed out on the top four. A significant portion of her playing time came instead in the Celtic Challenge with Brython Thunder, before a hamstring injury sustained against Scotland in Wales’ Women’s Six Nations opener cut her season short.

“I would have loved to have stayed for the girls,” Neumann told BBC Sport. “This last year didn’t go as well as I’d hoped. There were a lot of changes in the environment so I think it was a good decision to go. Obviously I’ve not signed with a club yet. I’ve looked at all the offers and it’s not just a financial decision. I have to think about quality of life.”

A return to Wales is one option on the table. Jasmine and Alisha Joyce have already confirmed they will compete in the Celtic Challenge full-time next season, and the Welsh Rugby Union’s ambitions to enter a side in the Premiership Women’s Rugby competition could make a homecoming more attractive. Neumann, however, is reluctant to leave London.

“I played for Brython Thunder a bit last year and I did really love it,” she said. “I don’t feel like I’m afraid to make any mistakes. But right now moving back home is a difficult decision — I’ve set up my life in London and it’s not easy to pack up.”

Whatever club she lands at, Neumann’s international calendar is already set. She has been included in Sean Lynn’s extended Wales squad for the WXV Global Series, which features home fixtures against the USA Women’s Eagles and Springbok Women before a two-Test tour of Japan in October.

“Obviously we want to come away with a win, that’s a given,” she said, “but the biggest thing is coming back in after the game and making sure that we’ve delivered on everything that we’ve been working really hard on.”