After 17 years in the England jersey, Emily Scarratt has announced her retirement from playing rugby at age 35. The distinguished centre concludes her career with 119 international caps, 754 points as England’s all-time leading scorer, and two World Cup victories. As she played her final match, the rugby world reflected on a career that broke records and established new benchmarks for excellence.
Scarratt’s record-breaking journey began with her 2008 debut. She systematically built her points tally through tries, conversions, and penalties across 11 Six Nations championship-winning campaigns. Her achievement of competing in five World Cups provided multiple platforms to add to her record, with each tournament seeing her point total grow. By her final appearance, her 754 points had established a record that may stand for generations.
The 2014 Rugby World Cup added significantly to Scarratt’s record books. She finished as the tournament’s leading scorer with 70 points and earned player of the final recognition as England won the championship. Each successful kick, each try scored, added to both team success and her personal records. The 2019 World Rugby Player of the Year award recognized her record-breaking excellence.
Beyond points, Scarratt set records for consistency and longevity. Her Olympic captaincy with Great Britain in 2016 and Commonwealth Games bronze in 2018 added to her record of representing England across all major competitions. At club level with Lichfield and Loughborough Lightning, she set standards that became records for others to chase.
As she steps away from breaking records as a player, Scarratt will help future players set their own. She has been appointed as an assistant coach 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 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 record-breaking career established benchmarks that define excellence in English rugby.
