England’s ‘greatest player’ challenges the game to ‘not undersell’ itself with a showing of ‘unbelievable growth’
England legend Emily Scarratt and an inset of Zoe Aldcroft holding the trophy as she celebrates with her teammates after winning the Women's Rugby World Cup final.
England legend Emily Scarratt has challenged women’s rugby to up its ambition still further by taking the PWR Final to Twickenham’s Allianz Stadium and selling out the place.
The two-time World Cup winner was hailed as “undoubtedly the greatest player the women’s game has ever seen” by Katy Daley-McLean, England’s 2014 tournament-winning captain, after announcing her retirement on Tuesday.
“We can do anything now”
She leaves the stage as England’s all-time leading points scorer, with 11 Six Nations titles to her name, and daring her sport to not rest on the laurels of a wildly successful World Cup.
“I genuinely believe we can do anything now in our game,” Scarratt told Planet Rugby. “And emulating the men’s game by taking our final to Allianz Stadium is a very tangible way of showing unbelievable growth.
“It’s a great challenge to have to pitch ourselves at appropriate levels and not undersell ourselves by being somewhere that sells out, which is great, but actually could we have gone somewhere bigger and maximise the opportunity more?”
Last season’s men’s final, between Bath and Leicester, attracted 81,688 fans and was the fastest ever to sell out. Three months later, the Women’s World Cup final, played in the same stadium, drew a capacity of 81,885, with a record-breaking TV audience of 5.8 million.
The 2025/26 PWR Final is scheduled for Sunday June 28 across the road at the 14,800-seat Twickenham Stoop.
“Going back a few years to when [women’s rugby] first talked about selling out Twickenham, I was like ‘that’s cool’ but I probably didn’t believe it,” Scarratt continued.
“As the years have gone on and we’ve seen crowds grow for the Six Nations, I’ve started to think, ‘Blimey, this could and will happen’.
“It would be unbelievable. It would be cool and, yeah, I genuinely do think it’s possible – as long as we keep supporting the girls, pushing them on, engaging with the fans as we always have done and staying authentic, which I think is so important.
“We saw it in women’s football. They play their FA Cup final at Wembley and they’ve seen unbelievable numbers [the 2025 edition drew an attendance of 74,412]. So, yeah, rugby [scaling up] seems pretty obvious.”
Turning down a basketball scholarship
Scarratt, 35, hangs up her boots having become the first England player, male or female, to compete in five Rugby World Cups. None of which would have happened had she accepted a US basketball scholarship at the age of 16.
“Could have been a millionaire if I’d gone over there!” she laughed. “Life could have been very different. I’d love to have played out a parallel life just to see. Looking back now, I’m pretty happy with the decision I made.
“At the time, I probably never really considered it to any great degree. I’m a bit of a homebird, I enjoy this country. I like being around my family.
“It’s certainly true to say a professional career was never something I had in mind. You set goals, dream dreams. But professional women’s rugby was never part of that. That’s something I never thought would happen.
“I’m incredibly grateful that it did. I’m sure it’s going to be the best job I ever have. I also love the fact that young girls can now grow up aspiring to be a professional rugby player, because that’s not an opportunity we had.”
The new PWR season kicks off at the Stoop on Friday when Ellie Kildunne’s Harlequins take on Loughborough Lightning, where Scarratt will combine coaching the backs with her PWR punditry work for TNT Sports.
Start of the PWR season
England captain Zoe Aldcroft’s Gloucester-Hartpury begin the defence of their title on Sunday against a Saracens side boasting Canada’s World Rugby Player of the Year, Sophie de Goede.
“There are some massive games this weekend,” added Scarratt. “In the World Cup, I think we captured the hearts of rugby fans that already existed, but also a lot of new fans that now have the opportunity to go down to their local club and see the stars they fell in love with during the tournament.
“Club rugby gives you the opportunity to get a lot closer to those players. You get an opportunity to meet them post-game and keep them more up to date with things through social media in the week or whatever. So that’s an exciting opportunity and one we’re definitely looking to grasp.
“I genuinely think women’s rugby will continue to grow. People fell in love with our game and certain players during the World Cup. They found a home in women’s rugby.
“Having nearly every game broadcast, with the quality TNT Sports provide, only increases the opportunity we have to showcase these athletes and brilliant people to a wider audience.”
Gloucester Hartpury vs Saracens is live on TNT Sports 1 and discovery+ from 2.30pm this Sunday
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