Emma Wassell is “moving in the right direction” and a comeback in time for the Women’s Rugby World Cup in England later in the year is “certainly a real possibility”.
That is according to Scotland head coach Bryan Easson who has been giving an update on the 30-year-old 67-times capped second-row’s return to health and return to fitness.
The Loughborough Lightning player spent nearly two weeks in hospital after a tumour in her chest was discovered during Scotland’s pre-season training block in August.
She then had one operation before a second, a full sternotomy, came in November.
In December she announced that her five-month battle was over and, since then, she has slowly been working her way back to things with the help of her club and the national team medics and backroom staffs.
“She’s moving in the right direction and I think the way she is going the World Cup is certainly a real possibility for her,” Easson said last week after naming a 34-strong squad for the upcoming Guinness Women’s Six Nations without her in it.
“Emma’s working really hard. She’s in here every day up at Oriam [Scotland’s training base on the outskirts of Edinburgh]. She’s doing some weights, she’s doing pull-ups, she’s running. It’s phenomenal what she’s been doing.
“She will come in during the Six Nations, she will be in with the group, not playing, but to be a part of things.
She’ll work along with forwards coach Fraser Brown on looking at opposition, doing some opposition lineout analysis and also be available as she progresses through her rehab to be involved in lineout training.”
Asked whether Wassell could make a remarkable return to playing during the Six Nations window in March and April, Easson added: “Given her character and desire to be involved, she thinks there is, but no, I don’t think there is. I think we’ve got to understand what she’s come through and what she’s been through.
“It’s a rehab that I think has been seen once [in women’s rugby]. There was a player at Saracen who’s had roughly the same kind of surgery, not for the same thing, but the same kind of surgery so we are aware of that, but there’s no real [body of] evidence [around this type of recovery] so you’ve got to be very, very careful.
“We’re not going to throw silly [comeback] dates up there or anything like that. We’re just going to take everything as it comes.”
Scotland will have three-day camps this week, WC March 3 and WC March 10 and then from WC March 17 it’ll be all eyes on – and full steam ahead – for the Six Nations 2025.
They open their campaign hosting Wales on Saturday March 22 and everything this year is building up to the Rugby World Cup in England in August and September. The Six Nations runs until April 26.
Scotland women’s training squad (number of caps in brackets, uncapped players in bold)
Forwards
Leah Bartlett – Leicester Tigers (38)
Christine Belisle – Loughborough Lightning (40)
Becky Boyd – Loughborough Lightning (uncapped)
Sarah Bonar – Harlequins (42)
Elliann Clarke – Bristol Bears (15)
Hollie Cunningham – Bristol Bears (uncapped)
Evie Gallagher – Bristol Bears (31)
Adelle Ferrie – Edinburgh Rugby/Corstorphine Cougars (uncapped)
Jade Konkel – Harlequins (66)
Rachel Malcolm – Loughborough Lightning (52, C)
Elis Martin – Loughborough Lightning (15)
Rachel McLachlan – Montpellier (46)
Aila Ronald – Edinburgh Rugby/University of Edinburgh (uncapped)
Molly Poolman – Edinburgh Rugby/Watsonians (uncapped)
Lana Skeldon – Bristol Bears (74)
Alex Stewart – Edinburgh Rugby/Corstorphine Cougars (8)
Anne Young – Loughborough Lightning (15)
Molly Wright – Sale Sharks (23)
Backs
Leia Brebner-Holden – Loughborough Lightning (5)
Beth Blacklock – Saracens (3)
Rhea Clarke – Edinburgh Rugby/University of Edinburgh (uncapped)
Rhona Lloyd – Les Lionnes du Stade Bordelais (52)
Caity Mattinson – Trailfinders Women (27)
Francesca McGhie – Leicester Tigers (17)
Liz Musgrove – Trailfinders Women (18)
Helen Nelson – Loughborough Lightning (65, V-C)
Rachel Philipps – Sale Sharks – (uncapped)
Chloe Rollie – Trailfinders Women (70)
Lucia Scott – Edinburgh Rugby/Gloucester-Hartpury (3)
Emma Orr – Bristol Bears (24)
Lisa Thomson – Trailfinders Women (64)
Hannah Walker – Edinburgh Rugby/University of Edinburgh (uncapped)
Evie Wills – Leicester Tigers (3)
Meg Varley – Bristol Bears (uncapped)
Day trainers invited into camp to support their development (all uncapped)
Forwards
Talei Tawake – Edinburgh Rugby/Watsonians
Holland Bogan – Glasgow Warriors/Stirling County
Natasha Logan – Edinburgh Rugby/University of Edinburgh
Emily Coubrough – Glasgow Warriors/University of Edinburgh
Backs
Hannah Ramsay – Edinburgh Rugby/University of Edinburgh
Poppy Mellanby – Glasgow Warriors/Biggar
Emma Wassell is pictured after last Friday’s Loughborough Lightning-Trailfinders PWR match with Scotland team mates Helen Nelson, Rachel Malcolm and Lisa Thomson
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