Emily Scarratt has brought her playing career to an end, announcing retirement at 35 after a journey from club rugby to world champion status across 17 years. The accomplished centre’s career includes 119 England caps, 754 points as the nation’s all-time leading scorer, and two World Cup victories. Her path from club player to international champion demonstrates what dedication and talent can achieve.
Scarratt’s journey included strong club foundations with Lichfield and Loughborough Lightning. These clubs developed her skills before her 2008 England debut. Throughout her international career—including 11 Six Nations championships and five World Cup appearances—she maintained club commitments, understanding that grassroots rugby supports elite success. Her journey from club rugby to world champion never forgot its origins.
The 2014 Rugby World Cup represented the journey’s destination—world champion status. She finished as the tournament’s leading scorer with 70 points and earned player of the final honors as England won the championship. This world champion achievement built upon years of club rugby development. The 2019 World Rugby Player of the Year award confirmed her journey from club player to world’s best.
Her journey also included Olympic captaincy with Great Britain in 2016 and Commonwealth Games bronze in 2018. Yet she always returned to club rugby, representing Lichfield and Loughborough Lightning even as a world champion, understanding the sport’s interconnected levels.
Appropriately, Scarratt’s next chapter returns to club rugby. 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 statement, Scarratt expressed pride in her journey through rugby’s levels during the sport’s professional transformation and gratitude for the opportunity to retire on her own terms. England head coach John Mitchell paid tribute to her as a once-in-a-generation player whose journey from club rugby to world champion status, while maintaining grassroots connections, provides a template for developing future champions.