Scotland Women’s Emma Wassell’s reward for resilience

The 78-cap second row player has played her part in helping Trailfinders reach their first-ever PWR final, which they will contest with three-time winners Saracens at Twickenham Stoop this Sunday afternoon.

She is one of several Scotland Women internationals signed to both clubs with Trailfinders also the home of Rachel Malcolm, Francesca McGhie and Lisa Thomson, whilst Louise McMillan has played for Saracens since 2022.

Yet the route to this season’s final has not been straightforward for Wassell.

The lock signed for the London club having not played rugby last season due to major surgery to remove a tumour in her chest.

And whilst she admirably recovered – documented in Scottish Rugby and Vodafone’s film Laoch – to make Scotland’s squad for the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup, where she helped her country reach a quarter-final, an injury sustained on international duty meant a spell on the sidelines marked the start of her Trailfinders tenure.

Her long awaited Trailfinders debut came on Valentines Day this year with an appearance from the bench; a club debut may seem something routine for most players, but for Emma it was the culmination of months of hard work and perseverance.

She has gone on to play regularly, including an impressive 80-minute display in the PWR semi-final against Gloucester Hartpury.

And for someone who has had to overcome so much, it is no surprise that the Ellon native embraces every opportunity available to her.

“There’s genuinely a real consideration that I might never get this chance again,” Emma replied when asked what it means to reach the final.

“I’ve never been in a final for club rugby and PWR is one of the best women’s club competitions in the world, so I feel really honoured to have played a small part in helping my team reach the final.

“When you’re on the sidelines, anyone who has gone through rehab will question what you are adding to the club.

“But I was very lucky in February to get back on the pitch and being able to contribute in that way was really important to me, especially after signing for a new club and wanting to add value.

“I don’t like to dwell on injury and what I’ve been through, but after every match I still do come off the pitch and I think: ‘I can’t believe I’m still doing this’ and I just don’t take any of it for granted.”

Although she is delighted to have been able to play her part on the pitch, Emma knows a lot of the foundations in doing so were built during her time rehabbing.

That brought its own challenges, but the result is a fresh perspective and a greater appreciation for the moment she now finds herself preparing for – the PWR final.

“Off-pitch presence is as important as on-pitch presence,” Emma said. “I hope that even during the period of time when I wasn’t playing that people could see I was focused on creating relationships with people.

“Doing that as a rehabber when you’re not fully in it can be tough. It’s easy to get to know people when you’re playing and training with them, but when you’re in a rehab gym separately, then you do have to make that extra effort – and I think that has been a strength of mine.

“In life generally, everything happens for a reason. I’ve tried not to write myself off because I genuinely can’t compare the start of the season to now. I feel like two different versions of myself.

“Most importantly, I’m just making sure I’m open to the opportunity and to lean in – lean in to what you’ve got in front of you and having a real appreciation that what I am so lucky to have now won’t last forever.

“I might be an older athlete in the game, but believing and appreciating that I can still add value and make the most of every opportunity I get is so important.”

This may be a first opportunity to lift silverware at her club but Emma has experience in doing so for her country, having been part of the Scotland Women squad who won the WXV2 title in 2023.

Her experiences as well as learning from those playing alongside her have helped instill the required mindset to prepare for a final.

“I suppose it’s about doing it when it matters,” Emma added. “At Trailfinders, we have a vast amount of experience in the likes of Meg Jones and Abi Burton, and Meg talks a lot about letting the occasion take care of itself.

“We know how we want to play and focusing on that instead of putting pressure on the occasion, but also try to enjoy the process and appreciating what we’re capable of.

“It’s also about taking confidence from how we’ve been playing these last few weeks and how well we’ve been able to link up and play some really exciting rugby. We’re holding a lot of faith that we’ll go out and do that again.”

The road to a career first club final has been anything but straightforward, but for Emma Wassell that’s exactly why the occasion means so much.