Who is Emily Scarratt: Ten things you should know about the England star

The Red Roses centre is one of women’s rugby’s most recognisable faces. By Nick Heath

Who is Emily Scarratt: Ten things you should know about the England star

Emily Scarratt has been a key figure in the England set-up for the past ten years, her vision, game understanding and skill-set making her one of the world’s most complete players.

Ten things you should know about Emily Scarratt

1. Emily Scarratt was born in Leicester on 8 February 1990.

2. She first tried rugby having gone down to Leicester Forest RFC aged five with her eight-year-old brother Joe. She went on to play for Lichfield Ladies and is now at Loughborough Lightning.

3. Following a club tour to New York with her local basketball club, Hinkley and Bosworth, Scarratt was offered a US basketball scholarship at the age of 16, which she turned down.

4. She first played for England in the Nations Cup 2008 having answered a phone call, from head coach Gary Street, whilst on holiday following her A-levels.

5. Her try-scoring exploits for England began with 12 tries in 12 games. She scored 49 tries in her first 96 caps. She plays centre and full-back for club and country.

6. She grew up on the family beef and arable farm. During lockdown, she fashioned a homemade gym using tractor tyres, hay bales and wooden pallets.

MORE ON EMILY SCARRATT

7. Scarratt became a world champion in 2014, scoring 16 points in the Rugby World Cup Final to help England beat Canada. She is a nine-time Women’s Six Nations champion, including six Grand Slams.

8. In 2016, she became an Olympian, captaining Team GB at the Rio Olympics in the women’s sevens, where the team finished fourth.

9. Known as Scaz, her nickname is part of the title of a podcast about rugby and women’s sport known as The Good, The Scaz and The Rugby.

10. Scarratt won the World Player of the Year award in 2019 and was appointed an MBE for services to rugby union in 2021.

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