Emily Scarratt has brought her playing career to a close, announcing retirement at 35 after 17 years representing England. The innovative centre’s career includes 119 international caps, 754 points as the nation’s all-time leading scorer, and two World Cup victories. Her combination of traditional centre play with elite goal-kicking ability revolutionized expectations for the position.
From her 2008 debut, Scarratt demonstrated that centres could be primary goal-kickers. Her contribution to 11 Six Nations championships showcased this dual role—distributing to teammates, creating attacking opportunities, and converting scores into points through reliable kicking. Her achievement of competing in five World Cups allowed her to demonstrate this innovative approach across multiple tournaments, influencing how teams structure their sides.
The 2014 Rugby World Cup highlighted the tactical advantages of Scarratt’s dual role. She finished as the tournament’s leading scorer with 70 points—combining tries scored as a centre with conversions and penalties as primary kicker. This versatility earned her player of the final honors as England won the championship. The 2019 World Rugby Player of the Year award recognized her revolutionary approach to the centre position.
Her positional innovation extended to sevens rugby, where she captained Great Britain at the 2016 Rio Olympics and won Commonwealth Games bronze with England sevens in 2018. At club level with Lichfield and Loughborough Lightning, she demonstrated how goal-kicking centres could be tactical game-changers.
As she retires, Scarratt’s innovative approach has become standard. 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, likely teaching future centres this dual 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 opportunity to retire on her own terms. England head coach John Mitchell described her as a once-in-a-generation player whose innovation revolutionized the centre position and influenced how modern rugby is structured.
