Emily Scarratt Retires: The Mentor Who Played at the Highest Level

Emily Scarratt has brought her playing career to an end, announcing retirement at 35 after 17 years representing England while simultaneously mentoring countless younger players. The influential centre’s career includes 119 international caps, 754 points as the nation’s all-time leading scorer, and two World Cup victories. Throughout her playing career, she understood the importance of guiding the next generation.
From her 2008 debut, Scarratt’s mentoring began early. As she gained experience contributing to 11 Six Nations championships, she shared knowledge with younger teammates. Her achievement of competing in five World Cups provided unique mentoring opportunities—each tournament cycle introduced new players who benefited from Scarratt’s guidance. Veterans who mentor while still performing at elite levels are rare and valuable.
The 2014 Rugby World Cup showcased Scarratt at her peak while she simultaneously mentored less experienced teammates. She finished as the tournament’s leading scorer with 70 points and earned player of the final honors as England won the championship, demonstrating excellence while helping others develop. By 2019, when she received the World Rugby Player of the Year award, she had become a veteran mentor still performing at the world’s highest level.
Her mentoring extended to captaining Great Britain at the 2016 Rio Olympics, guiding sevens players, and winning Commonwealth Games bronze with England sevens in 2018. At club level with Lichfield and Loughborough Lightning, she mentored countless players who developed under her guidance.
Appropriately, Scarratt’s retirement transitions her from player-mentor to full-time mentor. 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 being part of women’s rugby’s transformation into a professional sport 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 mentoring throughout her playing career prepared her perfectly for this next chapter of developing future generations.