Scotland coach lauds 'warrior' Emma Wassell following tumour diagnosis

Scotland women’s head coach Bryan Easson has hailed Emma Wassell as a “brilliant human being” and said he is delighted that she is still in and around camp this week ahead of the Vodafone Series Test with Fiji on Saturday.

On Tuesday, it was announced that 29-year-old, 67-times capped second-row Wassell had been taken out of the 30-strong playing group preparing for the upcoming WXV 2 tournament in South Africa as she had been diagnosed with a tumour in her chest.

Given that the Scotland squad are such a close-knit bunch and many of them have been involved internationally together for a number of years and are close friends away from the pitch, the news has hit a number of people hard.

Wassell is one of the bubbliest characters you could have the pleasure of meeting though and the Aberdonian, who now plays for Premiership Women's Rugby (PWR) outfit Loughborough Lightning, has stayed with the squad at their base on the outskirts of Edinburgh in recent days to help prepare the players for the Fiji clash at Hive Stadium and just generally bring good vibes.

She has even taken on some assistant team manager duties under Ellen Dickson.

“I can’t speak highly enough of Emma, she is a brilliant human being,” Easson said when naming his matchday squad on Thursday afternoon.

“She’s gone through so much this year and the resilience she shows is amazing, her support for others is also amazing despite what she has been through.

“She just wants to support us, that’s just her. She is a warrior, genuinely.

“To see her smiling is so good and she is so strong, she is like a warrior is a real inspiration to us all.

“She’s an immense individual. This group fights for each other, they genuinely do. This group have gone through adversity and the one word you would say about them is that they’re so resilient.

“One of the lines we have in our culture here is ‘fight for your family’ and that is what this group is. It is a family and when things like this happen the strength of the group shines through and the girls have been showing that strength on the pitch recently too.

“I base my leadership on relationships and I think it is important that we all understand that rugby is a people game. When you have good people in your environment – players and management – then you know that when players are going through tough times they will have support.

“We are all here for Wass.”

As Easson alluded to, Wassell has had a very tough 2024 to date.

She missed two matches during the Guinness Women’s Six Nations a few months ago after her mother Pauline passed away.

At that time captain Rachel Malcolm, Wassell’s best friend who she holidayed with in the summer, dedicated the win in Italy to Pauline.

And Emma will no doubt be in a lot of the players’ minds and be their inspiration this weekend as they look to build on last Friday’s 40-14 triumph over Wales.

On the latest news, which means she will not be heading to Cape Town next week with the squad for their WXV 2 defence, Wassell said: “Unfortunately, rugby has now been put on hold for a while as I will get surgery to remove the tumour, but I will be doing everything I can to return in 2025.

“To miss another opportunity to be back playing in blue has been a really tough one to take, especially after my year, but that truly is a testament to the team we have built.

“I honestly don’t have the words right now to describe the support I’ve had during this time, but I am beyond blessed with the incredible people I have in my life.

“Mum left me in good hands and I will forever be grateful to every single one of you who made sure I never felt alone in any of this.”

The player, who once started 54 Tests in a row and was part of the Rugby World Cup 2021 squad in New Zealand two years ago, also revealed how, at the end of Scotland’s four week pre-season training block which ended recently, she took herself off to A and E.

“The same day as I did my last running session of our pre-season block, I took myself to A and E with pain that I thought was sourdough stuck in my throat – a true story,” she explained.

“Unfortunately, that evening I was told I had a tumour in my chest. The word rollercoaster doesn’t even come close to the last couple of weeks, but I will thank my lucky stars I am feeling better and on the way up.

“Five CT scans, two X-rays, one MRI, one needle biopsy, one surgical biopsy, six kgs lost and 13 days in hospital to be released just in time to watch the girls get a big win at home versus Wales.

“Heart rate to be kept low, but my spirit still remains high”.

When talking about Wassell on Thursday, Easson said a number of times “it is a special group we have here”.

That ‘special group’ has won nine of their last 12 Tests since this time last year and will be favourites to make it 10 wins out of 13 this weekend.

Scotland are sixth in the world rankings with Fiji 14th and, for this game, Easson has made eight changes to the starting XV.

Props Anne Young and Elliann Clarke have been handed their first starts and will be earning their 12th and 13th caps respectively while Louise McMillan comes into the second-row and Rachel McLachlan and Jade Konkel join the back-row.

Caity Mattinson, Scotland’s first choice scrum-half, returns to action for the first time since sustaining a neck injury in the Six Nations game versus Ireland back in April while Rhona Lloyd comes in on the wing. Meryl Smith moves from 12 to 10.

Scotland squad to face Fiji

15. Chloe Rollie

14. Rhona Lloyd

13. Emma Orr

12. Lisa Thomson

11. Coreen Grant

10. Meryl Smith

9. Caity Mattinson

1. Anne Young

2. Lana Skeldon

3. Elliann Clarke

4. Louise McMillan

5. Sarah Bonar

6. Rachel Malcolm (captain)

7. Rachel McLachlan

8. Jade Konkel.

Replacements:

16. Elis Martin

17. Lisa Cockburn

18. Christine Belisle

19. Eva Donaldson

20. Evie Gallagher

21. Leia Brebner-Holden

22. Helen Nelson

23. Lucia Scott.