England legend Emily Scarratt lands new role after announcing retirement

Two-time Women’s Rugby World Cup winner Emily Scarratt has announced her retirement from rugby.

The much-loved centre calls time on her career with 119 appearances for the Red Roses and has registered 754 Test match points (54 tries, 158 conversions and 56 penalties). More than any other player in an England shirt.

Most recently she was part of the squad that helped England win the Rugby World Cup for a third time in September. At that tournament the 35-year-old became the first Red Rose to compete at five Rugby World Cups.

She won her final cap in England’s World Cup opening win over the USA at the Stadium of Light in Sunderland. While that 20 minute cameo proved to be Scarratt’s final moments on the field, she was seen on the touchline throughout the tournament and ran the water for her teammates on their way to a 33-13 win over Canada at Allianz Stadium in front of a record crowd of 81,885.

Scarratt will be remembered as one of English women’s rugby’s most famous players. Her metronomic goal-kicking, kicks in play, extraordinary skill set, passion, intelligence and leadership set her aside from anyone else.

The centre and full-back was key figure in England’s 2014 Women’s Rugby World Cup success, it was Scarratt’s boot that helped the Red Roses to success against Canada in Paris.

It was the perfect tonic to resolving the heartache of a Rugby World Cup final loss to New Zealand four years prior in her tournament debut as a 20-year-old.

This is all before the remarkable resolve she has shown in the face of injury. In 2023 Scarratt underwent neck surgery to save her career after a bulging disc in her neck threatened her spinal cord.

After disc replacement surgery there was a 13-month recovery period, in which time she missed the inaugural WXV 1 tournament, before making her return for Premiership Women’s Rugby outfit Loughborough Lightning in February 2024.

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Over a 17-year international career she won 11 Women’s Six Nations titles, was named 2019 World Rugby Women’s 15s Player of the Year, captained Team GB in rugby sevens at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio and won bronze with Team England at the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

From an early age Leicestershire-born Scarratt saw her rugby talents recognised. She excelled in hockey, rounders and basketball – she even turned down a scholarship in the USA for the latter – before committing to rugby.

She started out at Leicester Forest RFC, Scarratt spent the majority of her senior playing career with Lichfield Ladies.

The Staffordshire club were a dominant force in English domestic rugby and saw the likes of Sarah Hunter, Zoe Aldcroft, Vicky Fleetwood, Natasha Hunt, Amy Cokayne, Tamara Taylor and Holly Aitchison represent them.

One of the first wave of players to receive a full-time playing contract when their women’s sevens contract went professional in 2014, Scarratt transitioned back to 15s full-time in 2019 and joined Loughborough.

In the years since Scarratt made over 50 appearances for the African Violets and has balanced her rugby playing commitments with media work as a co-host on The Good, The Scaz & The Rugby and as a pundit for broadcaster TNT Sports.

 

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It has been confirmed that Scarratt has already started a coaching role with Loughborough, and will also take on a specialist coaching and mentoring role with the RFU this season to help bring through the next generation of players.

Scarratt said: “I still love the game, but the time feels right to step away. You don’t always get the chance in sport to make that decision for yourself, and I feel so lucky to do so on my own terms, proud of everything I’ve been part of.

“From my first cap in 2008 to walking out in front of more than 80,000 people at a World Cup final, the journey has been incredible. To have witnessed and played a part in the transformation of women’s rugby from amateur to professional is something I’m immensely proud of.”

John Mitchell said: “Emily is a once-in-a-generation player. Her quality, her calmness under pressure, and her ability to lead by example set the standard for everyone around her.

“There was no better example of this than the role she played during the recent World Cup, where she added immense value off the field, despite not playing as much as she might have hoped for – that is just the kind of special person that she is.

“She’s had a huge impact on the Red Roses and on women’s rugby globally, and we’re thrilled she’ll continue to share that experience through a different role.”

Nathan Smith, Loughborough’s head coach, said: “First and foremost, I want to congratulate Scaz on her remarkable rugby playing career. She is an icon of the game, and it has been a pleasure to be part of the final years of her career.

“A lot will be said about Scaz and her achievements within the game, and rightly so, but what I want people to remember is just how good a player she was.

“Scaz had it all. She is pound for pound one of the best players I have seen, and I am pleased that she gets to finish the game on her own terms.

“We are delighted that Scaz will be staying with Loughborough Lightning and Loughborough University in a coaching capacity, and she will be pivotal in the development of the game as a whole and the next generation of players.”