Emily Scarratt’s Retirement: Celebrating 17 Years of International Rugby

At 35, Emily Scarratt has announced her retirement from playing rugby, bringing to a close 17 years of representing England at the international level. The celebrated centre’s career includes 119 caps, 754 points as the nation’s all-time leading scorer, and two World Cup victories. Those 17 years spanned multiple eras of women’s rugby, making her career a chronicle of the sport’s evolution.
Scarratt’s 17-year journey began in 2008 when the women’s game was still largely amateur. She contributed to 11 Six Nations championships across those years, witnessing the tournament’s growth in profile and professionalism. Her achievement of competing in five World Cups across her 17 years provided unique perspective on how the sport’s premier tournament evolved. Few players maintain international careers of such duration, making her longevity remarkable.
The 2014 Rugby World Cup, occurring midway through her 17-year career, showcased her at peak performance. She finished as the tournament’s leading scorer with 70 points and earned player of the final honors as England won the championship. By the time she received the 2019 World Rugby Player of the Year award—11 years into her 17-year career—she had already established legendary status with years still to come.
Throughout those 17 years, Scarratt also captained Great Britain at the 2016 Rio Olympics and won Commonwealth Games bronze with England sevens in 2018. At club level, her 17 years included service to Lichfield and Loughborough Lightning, maintaining commitment to domestic rugby throughout her international career.
As her 17-year international playing career concludes, Scarratt begins a new chapter. She has accepted an assistant coaching position with Loughborough Lightning for the upcoming season and will also work with the RFU in a specialist coaching and mentoring role. In her retirement message, Scarratt expressed pride in being part of women’s rugby’s transformation into a professional sport during those 17 years and gratitude for the privilege of retiring on her own terms. England head coach John Mitchell described her as a once-in-a-generation player whose 17-year career provided stability, excellence, and inspiration that shaped English rugby.