Scarratt's favourite England memories
Emily Scarratt is in line to earn her 100th cap for England when she takes on Ireland at Welford Road this weekend.
The 32-year-old has been named in Simon Middleton’s starting lineup to face the Irish in front of her hometown crowd in Leicester.
Only captain Sarah Hunter has racked up more caps from the current crop of players, but the Loughborough Lightning star is on the verge of becoming a centurion herself and joining her captain in reaching the illustrious milestone.
The talismanic centre made her England debut back in 2008 and has some extraordinary accomplishments to boast over the course of a decorated 14-year career.
In honour of the remarkable accomplishment, we take a look back at some of her favourite moments over the course of an outstanding career.
U20 tour of Canada
Scarratt’s first cap for the Red Roses came in the 2008 Nations Cup which was confirmed via an impromptu phone call from then head coach Gary Street she received on holiday just weeks after completing her A-levels.
However, one of her earliest contributions on an International level came just a month earlier in the U20s version of the same tournament held in Ontario, Canada. The tour proved a massive success as England ran out comfortable winners claiming a 31-5 victory over the hosts before following it up with 14-3 win over the Welsh.
Whilst the U20s were going strong on the field, the tour endeared Scarratt to touring with her country off it as well. 14 years on she still recalls the occasion as one of, if not her favourite tour with England for the long-lasting relationships and happy memories it left her with.
“It’s still one of my favourite trips in an England shirt, it was just so much fun,” she said. “There were so many girls there that are playing now like Sarah McKenna, Marlie Packer, Vickii Cornborough, Vicky Fleetwood, and they’ll all say the same thing. It was a lot of fun and really stands out.”
Scaz’s first slam
Scarratt’s international career got off to a lightning quick start as her try scoring exploits were evident right from the off.
She began with 12 tries in her opening 12 games for the Red Roses and secured her first Six Nations title win in 2009 narrowly missing out on the slam courtesy of a 16-15 defeat to Wales in round two. But 12 months on the Red Roses were not to be denied.
England dispatched Wales 31-0 in the opening round setting the tone for much of their tournament. Scarratt crossed the whitewash four times over the course of a Six Nations in which they only conceded 15 points in total, and only 5 points in the run up to their Grand Slam decider with France.
The Red Roses ran out narrow 11-10 victors in Rennes as a late Katy Daley McLean penalty secured the first of six Grand Slams in Scarratt’s career to date.
World Cup final on home soil
The sixth edition of the Women’s Rugby World Cup was held on home soil and it would turn out to be a massive turning point in the development of the women’s game.
Interest in the tournament was much higher than initially anticipated as over 100 countries broadcasted matches and there were large crowds for both pool and knockout matches for the first time in memory.
This culminated in a tremendous spectacle at the stoop for Scarratt’s first World Cup final appearance where a world record crowd of over 13,000 witnessed England try to topple New Zealand in one of the most intense 80 minutes of women’s rugby.
The Red Roses fell just short in an admirably defiant display that saw the Black Ferns run out narrow 13-10 winners to claim their fourth successive World Cup win. Despite the disappointment of defeat, Scarratt’s abiding memory was one of pride and reflection on just how far the women’s game had come and the promise of much more in the future.
A wonderfully vibrant atmosphere, an extremely physical contest, and a world record viewership was more than enough to lift the spirits.
“It was a huge deal for us,” said Scarratt. “That was the first time we played in front of a massive crowd at the time and on home soil. The result was disappointing but I was just so proud of how far we had come and it was really cool playing on such a big occasion.”
World Cup glory in Paris
Three successive defeats in the World Cup final had left England with a score to settle and Scarratt would play the most significant part in sealing the deal against Canada.
It was a typically tight affair for a World Cup final with neither team able to establish firm control on the scoreboard until a moment of brilliance from England’s star player.
Scarratt danced past defenders and raced through to the line extending England’s now unassailable 21-9 lead to ensure victory. The full-time whistle was met with an explosion of joy and relief as England had ended their wait.
Scarratt scored 11 of England’s 21 points on a fateful evening in 2014 in Paris and had achieved a life-long dream in the process. What a night.
Becoming a Red Roses centurion
This weekend will undoubtedly be a momentous occasion. Another huge crowd is expected for England’s fourth round clash with Ireland at Welford Road as England hope to maintain momentum in their Six Nations title bid.
But the moment will hold a special place for Scaz in particular. All young players growing up with the game dream of one day playing for their country but few can ever imagine racking up a century of caps, even more so achieving that extraordinary feat in your hometown.
The legendary centre has a sensational catalogue of moments in her international highlight reel to date but even for her, this Sunday will top the lot as she joins an exclusive elite class of English rugby players.
“It’s a hard one to talk about because it would be unbelievably special,” she said. “Leicester is where I grew up, it’s the team I’ve supported my entire life, I played on the pitch as a kid for Leicester Forest at half time so whoever who is writing my scripts, I owe them a few drinks.”
