"Keep pushing forward" - England legend Emily Scarratt backs PWR for the biggest season ever

The Red Roses took home the crown from World Cup's grand finale at the end of September, with the buzz around women's rugby at an all-time high ahead of a fresh season in the PWR. The PWR will once again showcase the elite talent seen on the world stage this past summer, with 129 leaue players having represented their countries at Rugby World Cup 2025.

These players hail from the home nations of England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland, as well as from nations further afield, including Canada, France, the USA, New Zealand, and South Africa.

In an exclusive interview with RUCK, recently retired England international Emily Scarratt reflected on the ever-growing development of women’s rugby, with a blockbuster season ahead in the English top flight:

"I hope it continues to keep pushing forward. I think we're in a really good place, but I think the big thing that we really obviously want to push on is that transferable bit from international stuff to domestic competitions and how we can see that, the fans, the engagement and the continued visibility of it transferring over."

The World Cup has driven unprecedented growth for the women’s game, and the PWR is now aiming to build on that momentum, further establishing itself as the world’s leading domestic league.

Scarratt, who hung up her boots earlier this week as a two-time World Cup champion, highlighted the opportunity the league has to harness this newfound visibility:

"We want to continue that momentum and obviously bring that through into the PWR. I'm really excited about this season with the PWR. I think, you know, obviously rugby fans generally, they got to see all their favourite players play in the World Cup, but actually for the new fans that we've gained, they've kind of fallen in love with some superstars along the way and they now have an opportunity to see them in the league really regularly every weekend down at their local clubs around the country so I think that's something that we really have to capitalise on."

The success of the World Cup was amplified by social media engagement, both through individual players and teams, providing further visibility and inspiring the next generation of rugby stars. With the return of club rugby, players can now engage more directly with fans, giving them a closer view of the game’s ongoing development.

The 2025/26 PWR season launches under the lights on Friday, with Harlequins welcoming Loughborough Lightning to the Twickenham Stoop.

Scarratt, who has taken up a coaching role with Loughborough Lightning, shared her thoughts ahead of the opening fixture:

"We had a couple of really good tussles against them last year. So I think obviously both sides will want to start well. Obviously, Harlequins had a really good run in the Cup. So they're probably a bit more game hardened than we are in that sense because we haven't played for a good few weeks. But yeah, I hope it's going to be a great game and a great occasion."

The excitement continues across the weekend, culminating with a repeat of last season’s final as Gloucester-Hartpury face Saracens. The fixture promises to be a showcase event, with Scarratt joining TNT Sports team as a pundit, to cover the season and provide expert commentary and analysis.