Centre Emily Scarratt would “love to get back in an England shirt” but is taking nothing for granted on returning from 13-months out with a neck injury.
The 34-year-old, who has 108 Red Roses caps, had neck surgery last year to try to prolong her career.
On Friday, Scarratt returned to action for the first time for Loughborough Lightning in a 33-17 defeat at Bristol.
“It would mean a lot, but I am not trying to think about it too much,” Scarratt told BBC Sport.
“I am not taking anything for granted. I haven’t played for a long time and don’t have as many game minutes and training minutes as a lot of the girls.
“Also a lot of them have been playing really well consistently for the last year or so. I would love to get back in an England shirt, but I am not taking anything for granted.”
The 2014 World Cup winner played 47 minutes of the Premiership Women’s Rugby match at Ashton Gate and showed glimpses of her class in attack and defence.
Following the injury in January 2023, the former world player of the year missed the inaugural WXV1 tournament and the 2023 Six Nations, with the Red Roses winning a second successive Grand Slam.
England begin their Six Nations defence on 24 March against Italy – a date that was earmarked by Scarratt.
“Hopefully I am fit and back eligible for the Six Nations campaign,” she said.
“I love playing for my country and I have been doing so for some many years. I would be lying if I said I don’t want to get back in that shirt.”
‘It was the right thing to do for my life’
Scarratt required disc replacement surgery, which meant removing a bulging disc in her neck and replacing it with an artificial one.
Post-surgery rehab included “various different weighted exercises” involving a head harness and band work, which is “quite similar” to how Formula 1 drivers strengthen their necks.
“I had a bulging neck disc which was compromising my cord which is obviously pretty dangerous,” Scarratt added.
“It was stable where it was but it wasn’t regressing or recovering by itself.
“Even if I didn’t come back to rugby, it was the right thing to do for my life than that hanging over you.
“When it is for the rest of you life it kind of puts it into perspective and the surgery was actually for that reason, but it gave me an opportunity to come back and play rugby.”
2025 World Cup ‘a huge target’
New Red Roses head coach John Mitchell joined the side last autumn following the conclusion of his time as assistant coach of the Japan men’s side.
Despite a glittering international career, which includes eight Six Nations titles, Scarratt is yet to play under Mitchell, but received support from her potential new coach before her first game back.
“He has checked in throughout this whole process, which has been really nice to just see how I am getting on,” she said.
“He called me before the first game and said go out and play. That was really nice. I am really looking forward to developing that relationship.”
The former All Black head coach was brought in to help the Red Roses win a home World Cup in 2025 after narrowly losing out to New Zealand in 2022.
Having played in the defeat by the Black Ferns and the last World Cup held in England in 2010, Scarratt says it is a “huge goal” to potentially finish her career on an all-time high.
“If I make 2025 we will see where we are at,” she added. “If it is not 2025, [retirement] won’t be a huge amount of time after I don’t think.”
