“I just wanted to make sure on my return to rugby I was doing something I was excited to do, to make the most of the opportunity I had, obviously being very lucky to be back playing,” says Scotland international Emma Wassell about her move to Premiership Women’s Rugby (PWR) club Trailfinders which was confirmed on Friday.
Wassell has recently had around nine months out of the game because of a health battle. Throughout that time she had ever-changing goals but at the heart of them was being able to play rugby again.
Wassell found a tumour in her chest in September 2024 and had to have a full sternotomy, a surgery where the breastbone is split to allow access to the heart and chest cavity. It has been a long road but she has recovered and has met her goal. Not only has she been selected in Scotland’s training squads for the upcoming Rugby World Cup but she has announced she will be remaining in the PWR after leaving Loughborough Lightning in April.
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The 30-year-old said: “It worked out well when I started speaking to Trailfinders, I very instantly got a feeling I would be a valued member. That is huge for a player to be at a club where they can feel value and add value. Loughborough has been great for me but it was the right time in my life to make moves, it’s really exciting.
“I’ll have a huge amount of pride pulling back on the Scottish jersey but to be back within the club environment, the day-to-day training environment [is exciting]. I am excited to enjoy rugby again, be competitive again and really push myself.
“I sometimes think the most I have pushed myself has been in club rugby. I know that might sound silly in comparison to international. But you are really fighting for spots at club because of the nature of the level and calibre of English players but also you’ve got Canadian players, American players, players from all over the world. I love that idea of pushing yourself and competing for that spot.”
Before she plays for Trailfinders for the first time there is the small matter of the Rugby World Cup. Wassell will hope to be a part of the Scotland team who take part in the tournament, kicking off on 22 August, with the squad announcement coming in the next month or so.
Wassell has described being back in international camp as “tough” but that she is so excited to be there as she has “craved being pushed” competitively. She also says she feels “strong and safe” to be back playing.
However, the intensity of the pre-season and the possibility of representing her country for a second time at a Rugby World Cup – Wassell was part of the squad in 2022 – is making it difficult for her to switch off from the sport.
She added: “Everything I have done or how decisions have been made [has been based around] how I can get back. I am lucky enough to be full-time but I have come from a time where I was working full-time and did rugby, which has its own challenges, but it does mean you have something else to focus on.
“We [Scotland squad] are absolutely terrible, we spend everyday together in camp and then we get one day off. Then we’re like ‘who is free for coffee’. It’s embarrassing how we sometimes cannot be apart.
“In this period of time the switch off is hard I won’t lie. There is a huge carrot dangling and everything I have done and I’m doing right now [is geared towards rugby]. Whether it is recovery or to be the best athlete I can be, my switch off is probably pretty limited.”
Wassell did manage to get some down time in before the rugby pre-season began with a road trip in Scotland with her brother, Terry. It was one of the first times the siblings had done something as just the two of them since Wassell’s health issues and losing their mum in April 2024.
She said: “When you’re with family, that is when you put everything into perspective. I had put a lot of pressure on myself to get back to play rugby and particularly in a Scotland shirt, which is because I love it and I am so passionate about it. But ultimately when you strip it all back and you have your health and your family [that is what matters].
“I felt very relaxed and content, we enjoyed a bit of Scottish scenery and weather. We reflected a little bit as it has been hard for me but it has been particularly hard for my brother, having to watch me go through that and not being able to help like he’d want to. He is delighted to have me back playing. It was very special to have that time in Scotland.”
Wassell adds it will be emotional to pull on the Scotland shirt again, not just for her but for those closest to her.
“There will be many bittersweet moments,” she says. “The pinnacle for us is playing at the World Cup, so it is a huge privilege to be in that position. But to not have my mum there to watch it makes it quite hard. My brother, we’re not too gushy so he’ll try not to show it too much but I know he will be incredibly proud.”
