Former England star Emily Scarratt has urged young girls to \u201ctake a friend and go have some fun\u201d as women\u2019s rugby continues to grow.<\/p>\n
The 2026 Six Nations has seen yet further records broken, as the sport continues its devastating surge in popularity following the incredibly successful 2025 World Cup.<\/p>\n
During England\u2019s opening Six Nations match against Ireland, an attendance of 77,120 was recorded, making it the highest ever figure for the championship. Elsewhere, both Scotland and Ireland claimed record home attendances, with 30,498 and 9,206, respectively.<\/p>\n
PREM Rugby round 14: Predictions, teams, kick-off times, how to watch and referee appointments<\/a><\/p>\n How the game has grown<\/p>\n We spoke to the 11-time Six Nations winner on Thursday, who was busy helping to prepare England for their third round fixture against Wales at Ashton Gate.<\/p>\n Now part of the England coaching set-up, she was once a promising teenager carving out her name within the England ranks.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I got my first cap back in 2008, there was a handful of people watching,\u201d she recalled, focusing on the immense growth that the game has seen.<\/p>\n \u201cThere wasn\u2019t much media interest; it certainly wasn\u2019t shown on TV, and now fast forward to the numbers that we now get at stadiums.<\/p>\n \u201cWe sold out at Ashton Gate. We had 77,000 at Allianz Stadium<\/a> a couple of weekends ago, and even the Murrayfield game away from home last week broke records. So from that side of it, it\u2019s incredibly obvious in terms of the numbers that you now get supporting it.<\/p>\n \u201cCommercially as well, we have a lot more support. All the girls are full-time professionals, so that makes a big difference. The ability to engage with sponsors and the opportunities for players outside of playing the game are now massive.\u201d<\/p>\n Players like Scarratt were the ones to put women\u2019s rugby on the map, and future players will benefit hugely from that. But, because of all that she achieved on the field, even in retirement, she\u2019s able to continue growing the game.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve been involved with IHG on a campaign with Joe Marler, engaging with more sponsors and being able to show the other side of yourselves as not just rugby players.\u201d<\/p>\n Personalities within rugby<\/p>\n Scarratt is working alongside IHG Hotels & Resorts, who have launched \u2018Fancierge\u2019, a concierge-style initiative offering complimentary experiences in host cities throughout the tournament. She\u2019s been involved in many of their adverts alongside Joe Marler, showcasing some of their many features.<\/p>\n \u201cI wouldn\u2019t necessarily say my acting skills are that great,\u201d she laughed off, admitting, \u201cThe fancierge service that IHG have offered during the Six Nations is very cool, and we got to do a bit of a spoof of some of them, it genuinely was really fun.<\/p>\n \u201cWe did quite a few different activities. I never thought I\u2019d be lying in a spa in a robe with Joe Marler<\/a> getting a face massage, but it was really fun, and he\u2019s such a great guy to work with. Activations like that are fun when you\u2019re able to show your personality as well.\u201d<\/p>\n For many years, rugby was seen as unwilling to bend to modern society, while attitudes and expectations around it altered. The women\u2019s game, however, and many of the \u2018new age\u2019 players, are starting to reinvent how the game is perceived.<\/p>\n Speaking about the growth of social media and individual personalities within the game, Scarratt explained why rugby is growing at the rate it is.<\/p>\n \u201cWe know rugby is a big sport in our world, but in the grand scheme of things, it\u2019s still not a particularly big sport,\u201d she said. \u201cSo if we can showcase the different personalities, engage with people, relate to people via various people\u2019s backgrounds and experiences, then it\u2019s massive.<\/p>\n \u201cSo many people say now that people follow people. It\u2019s not necessary to be interested in rugby; they just need to find a connection with somebody and then follow what they do.<\/p>\n \u201cHaving people like Ellie [Kildunne<\/a>], Ilona [Maher], all of the big names that can connect with people \u2013 not just because of rugby \u2013 in the social media world and whatnot, is hugely important just to continue to bring eyeballs to our game.\u201d<\/p>\n Crusaders v Waratahs: Five takeaways as Fainga\u2019anuku gamble pays off for All Blacks and \u2018Saders while Will Skelton \u2018successor\u2019 costs \u2018Tahs<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know this side of it at all\u201d<\/p>\n The 36-year-old is now working with Kildunne in the England camp, but in a different environment to what she\u2019s used to. Instead of running onto the pitch with her or any of the other players that she has known for many years, Scarratt has now stepped over the line into coaching.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is a weird one because obviously I know the environment so well, but I don\u2019t know this side of it at all,\u201d she said, comparing her time as a player to her new role in the coaching set-up.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s a whole new way of working and a whole new schedule that you follow as a staff and a coaching member, which you\u2019ve got to get your head around pretty quickly.<\/p>\n \u201cMany of the girls are really good friends of mine. I\u2019ve played with them for a long time.\u201d<\/p>\n While she\u2019s getting used to the transition from player to full-time coach, it\u2019s certainly not her first time imparting her years of wisdom on those around her.<\/p>\n \u201cI have coached for quite a few years alongside playing, certainly at the back end of my career,\u201d she explained.<\/p>\n \u201cBeing at Loughborough, I was doing bits there. I did stuff with one of the BUCS men\u2019s teams at Loughborough, and then I\u2019ve been involved with Loughborough Lightning.<\/p>\n \u201cI still don\u2019t know whether I wanna be a coach for life, but it\u2019s certainly something that interests me. I love the game, and I definitely wanna stick around, and coaching is quite a nice transition.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve been involved in a team for such a long time, and to totally remove myself from that would be quite a difficult transition, I think.\u201d<\/p>\n John Dobson reveals Deon Fourie\u2019s selfless act as Springboks veteran \u2018stood himself down\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n Importance of enjoyment<\/p>\n Attitudes have certainly changed within the game in recent years. The women\u2019s game, in particular, appears to be leading in acknowledging that players need to be able to express themselves, proving that enjoyment is the leading factor for participation.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is huge,\u201d said Scarratt<\/a>, reflecting on the camaraderie and enjoyment that the game exudes.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s the reason I played the game for as long as I did. If I didn\u2019t enjoy what I was doing, it would have been a really tough slog.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re lucky in our game, the way that it\u2019s set up in terms of the team element, you have some incredibly unique, funny, kind people that you come across, which just genuinely makes it so much fun.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re a professional environment where the girls are representing their country, so in theory it\u2019s very serious, but at the same time you have to enjoy what you do, and you have to make the days enjoyable.<\/p>\n \u201cWhether it\u2019s doing daft things or giving people time to themselves or whether there\u2019s like a fun game at the beginning of training or anything like that, it has to be enjoyable because that\u2019s how you get the best out of people.\u201d<\/p>\n Sione Tuipulotu explains what Scotland must do \u2018to get over the hump\u2019, the \u2018rugby game that hurt the most\u2019 and the Gregor Townsend call that left him \u2018nervous\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n Message to young fans<\/p>\n Girls and ladies teams are popping up all around the world at a rate not seen before. So what message would she have to young fans who are considering playing rugby?<\/p>\n \u201cJust go for it,\u201d she responded simply.<\/p>\n \u201cI used to do some stuff in schools, and you\u2019d offer taster sessions to young girls because often they just don\u2019t ever play it unless they\u2019ve got an influential figure in their family or they are lucky enough to maybe have a PE teacher at school that plays it, so.<\/p>\n \u201cAll of the girls, as soon as they did it, loved it. There weren\u2019t many who didn\u2019t enjoy what they were doing.<\/p>\n \u201cThey were asking to tackle and get in the mud, and all the stuff that you assume perhaps would be the things that they wouldn\u2019t want to do.<\/p>\n \u201cThe biggest thing is to have a go, get down to your local club. I\u2019d love to see it being offered in schools more regularly. And also, let\u2019s not forget, it doesn\u2019t always have to be the contact version of the game. You can play tag, you can play touch, you can play the variations of the game and still find enjoyment in it.<\/p>\n \u201cTake a friend, and go have some fun, is my advice.\u201d<\/p>\n IHG Hotels & Resorts, the official hotel partner of the Guinness Women\u2019s Six Nations, has appointed\u00a0Emily\u00a0Scarratt\u00a0as its official \u201cFancierge\u201d where she finds and tests the most authentic experiences that transform every Guinness Six Nations trip into a weekend of new pre-match rituals. Fans can sign up for these complimentary experiences in different host cities at ihgfancierge.com<\/a><\/p>\n