England centre Emily Scarratt’s return from a 13-month injury absence ended in defeat as Loughborough Lightning lost 33-17 at Bristol Bears.
The 34-year-old, who has 108 Red Roses caps, had neck surgery last year to try to prolong her career.
Scarratt, a 2014 World Cup winner, played 47 minutes of the Premiership Women’s Rugby match and showed glimpses of her class in attack and defence.
“The first one back, you just want to get it done,” Scarratt told TNT Sports.
“I managed to get my hands on the ball a little bit, but probably not as much as I wanted but we will work into that.”
Trailfinders defeated Leicester Tigers 29-14 in Friday’s other Premiership game.
The win means the Bears, in fourth, are now 14 points above Lightning, in fifth.
The Red Roses begin their Six Nations Grand Slam defence on 24 March against Italy.
