Emily Scarratt: 'People say I don't look like a rugby player...'

As the Women's Rugby World Cup makes its live television debut, England's centre tells Robin Scott-Elliot about life in a man's game

(GETTY IMAGES)

Emily Scarratt had an easy morning yesterday, a late breakfast with her flatmates followed by some welcome downtime. But it could do nothing to still the excitement bubbling around the compact apartment she shares with a couple of her team-mates.

"We have been looking forward to this all summer," says Scarratt, a 20-year-old who juggles her studies with being one of the world's most promising female rugby players. "I am so excited about what could happen."

On Tuesday Scarratt and the other 25 members of the England women's squad moved into their temporary home for – if everything goes according to plan – just under three weeks. They are occupying a block in the Surrey Sports Park on the edge of Guildford. Next door are the Canadians and the next one along holds the US. All 12 teams competing for the World Cup, from the All Blacks to Kazakhstan, are based in what is usually student accommodation; a far cry from what their male counterparts are used to when they gather to contest the game's greatest prize. Tonight England will open their campaign against Ireland, the last of the day's six games played on two neighbouring pitches, in a tournament that is seen as pivotal for the standing of the sport in this country.

All the players are amateurs. Catherine Spencer, England's captain, resigned from her job as a sports centre manager to fulfil her ambition of lifting the World Cup. Amy Garnett, the most capped played in the squad with 86, is on three months unpaid leave from the Metropolitan Police. Scarratt is on summer holidays from her degree in Sport and Exercise Science at Leeds Metropolitan University – so at least she's at home in the squad's World Cup quarters.

"One of the Canadian players [Heather Moyes] won a gold in the bobsleigh at the Winter Olympics – we've seen her around the village. There is a bit of a Games feel about all being here. We are vets, police, teachers and students," says Scarrett, who cites Geordan Murphy of her hometown club Leicester as her inspiration, the player she would like to emulate in making darting breaks that leave opponents bemused. "But if we do well numbers [of people] can pick up off the back of it."

The first day is close to a 4,000 sell-out and if England progress to the last four and final at the Twickenham Stoop, as Six Nations champions they are favourites to face New Zealand in the final, then the crowds will increase. In November they played the All Blacks after the men's Test at Twickenham and over 12,000 stayed on – possibly encouraged by a torrential downpour – to see England record a famous victory, their first for eight years against the powerhouse of the women's game, with Scarratt playing a starring role from full-back.

Many first-timers, particularly male first-timers, are surprised by the physical nature of the women's game and hosting the World Cup for the first time offers another chance for the sport to correct an image that can be as stereotyped in this country as a Frenchman in Breton sweater and beret with a string of onions swinging around his neck as he nonchalantly tosses a boule while chewing on a Gitanes.

"The old stereotypes are there and probably always will be – 'How can women play a contact sport?'" says Scarratt. "There is not much you can do about people like that – the perception is massively hard to change. But there are new supporters being attracted to the game and hopefully the World Cup can add to that. It is huge for the women's game, a real legacy event and can lead to a rise in participation. When people ask me what I do and I tell them they say 'You don't look like a rugby player.' But it doesn't bother me what the wider population think. It really doesn't."

Fighting perception is a constant for female rugby players, and it starts early. Scarratt began playing at the age of five when, much in the manner of William Webb Ellis himself, she picked up the ball and ran with it after she had tailed her brother down to the local club. Until the age of 12 she played alongside the boys. How did they react to that? She laughs. "They would be like 'Can we tackle her?' but as soon as I tackled them they started tackling me." Did you hold your own? "I like to think so."

Scarratt made her England rugby debut – she had already played rounders for her country, as well as county basketball – aged 18. It did not take long for her to have an impact as she scored off a crash ball. This evening she will win her 19th cap, live on Sky, in what is expected to be an England victory and already she has 16 tries to her name. She takes the No 13 shirt in an England backline that is considered by many as the most exciting in the tournament. New Zealand and Canada, two of the other contenders, are both big, physical sides, but England prefer to spread it.

"We pride ourselves on playing fast paced rugby – pretty rugby," says Scarratt. "We play an exciting game. It's free-flowing and enjoyable to watch. We are the national team, come and support us – we could be a World Cup-winning team."

Women's Rugby World Cup: Facts and figures

Q. Where and when does the competition take place?

It kicks off at Surrey Sports Park in Guildford today. The semi-final, third place play-off and final take place at the Twickenham Stoop on 5 September.

Q. What happens today?

Games start at 2pm with Canada v Scotland, followed by Wales v Australia, New Zealand v South Africa, US v Kazakhstan, England v Ireland and France v Sweden.

Q. Who are the players to watch?

Along with Emily Scarratt, Canada's full-back Heather Moyse is expected to be a top performer. Moyse was the leading try- and points-scorer in 2006.

Q. Are England's women better than the men?

The world rankings would seem to suggest so, as England's women are ranked second. The current world champions are New Zealand.

Q. Will I be able to watch it on TV?

Sky Sports will be broadcasting 13 live matches plus highlights. Or you can buy tickets at www.rwcwomens.com