Scarratt leads England in Grand Slam decider
CENTURION Emily Scarratt can’t wait to lead England into their TikTok Women’s Six Nations title decider against France today – after earning her 100th cap on a “mad day” last weekend, writes Tom Masters, of Sportsbeat.
The Loughborough Lightning centre scored 10 points as England ran in 11 tries to win 69-0 against Ireland and return to the top of the Championship standings in front of another record crowd at Mattioli Woods Welford Road.
Scarratt, 32, will captain the side after Lightning team-mate Sarah Hunter picked up a rib injury and is relishing the prospect of the Super Saturday showdown in Bayonne.
Appearing on the Nick & Mo Show, Scarratt said: “I think the biggest test will be this weekend against the other top side in the Six Nations.
“You’ve got to step up, you’ve got to bring it in those pressure games.
“They’re going to be a tough, hostile crowd out there, which always makes things tough, but they’re the tests you want. You want to play in the big matches when it really matters.”
Speaking about receiving her 100th cap last Sunday, above, in front of her home fans at Tigers’ stadium, Leicester-born Scarratt described it as a “mad day”.
Asked whether she had processed such an occasion, she said: “Yes and no. Obviously, heading straight back on to the road puts you back into reality, but it was a mad, mad day, I could not have imagined it like that. “Everyone was asking me, are you going to get emotional? I’m not a crazy emotional person but when I saw my dad, I was like oh here we go, because he’s really soft, he’s the soft one of the family.
“So I think because of the nature of how it was done, obviously there was a big crowd of people that were still on the pitch, but nobody really said anything.
“If someone were to have made a speech and said some words that probably would have got me.”
■■The TikTok Women’s Six Nations is more accessible than ever before. To find out how you can watch the championship, visit: