Wassell On Proving Herself Again After Tumour Hell

Emma Wassell has been blown distant beryllium nan upland of goodwill she has received since announcing past twelvemonth she required room to region a tumour from her chest. Now she wants to punctual everyone what a terrific rugby subordinate she is.

Her Scotland team-mates wrapped their arms astir Wassell and helped her on nan roadworthy to recovery. The outpouring of support from nan Scottish rugby community, nan wider crippled and beyond nan athletics was a comfortableness successful bleak times.

Having battled backmost to fittingness successful clip for Scotland opening their World Cup run against Wales successful Salford connected Saturday, Wassell wants to move connected from nan acheronian times and make much happy memories successful a Scotland shirt.

"We joke a batch astir it. I opportunity 'I do really play rugby, I didn't conscionable person a tumour. There's much to me, I swear," Wassell says connected nan BBC's Scotland Rugby Podcast.

"I don't want anyone to deliberation immoderate otherwise different than she's a beautiful bully rugby player."

Women's Rugby World Cup

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The 30-year-old spent 2 weeks successful infirmary aft having nan benign tumour removed successful September 2024.

It was a traumatic time, coming conscionable months aft nan nonaccomplishment of her mother, and Wassell has spoken movingly of really her "rugby family" rallied astir her successful her astir difficult moment.

Her information successful nan World Cup whitethorn not person been uppermost successful her mind successful those first days post-surgery, but it soon became a extremity that would thrust her recovery.

"There's been parts of nan travel that I've benignant of conscionable thought, I conscionable want to get backmost playing rugby and enjoying rugby again, but you cognize that carrot is location dangling," said nan 2nd row.

"It's nan World Cup successful England, which is nan closest I'll get to a location World Cup and conscionable knowing that you tin person each your friends and family location to support.

"It was a immense extremity of excavation and it decidedly pushed me. There was various moments wherever I had to excavation a small deeper and conscionable deliberation 'are you wanting to spell to that World Cup aliases not, Emma?'.

"It pushed maine erstwhile I astir apt needed a wee push and I'm conscionable incredibly excited and grateful that I've made it."

Having played successful 2 warm-up fixtures against Italy and Ireland, Wassell feels physically backmost to her best.

The first steps backmost into beingness interaction were not easy, however, and location were little moments of uncertainty arsenic to whether her assemblage was fresh for nan demands of Test rugby.

"There was decidedly a immense intelligence constituent to it conscionable because it was my thorax and that's thing erstwhile you're playing rugby, it is going to get hit, whether it is being tackled, tackling aliases conscionable landing connected nan ball," Wassell said.

"Your sternum is taking an impact. So location was a batch astir benignant of conscionable increasing assurance there, but I bespeak connected aft it happened and location was moments erstwhile I was coming backmost and I'm like, americium I ever going to person nan assurance to propulsion my assemblage astir again?

"There was a infinitesimal successful clip that I couldn't really push myself disconnected nan ground. I really struggled and it was possibly 4 weeks that I was really weak.

"It was rather a daunting thought coming backmost to a afloat interaction sport. And for me, it isn't really astir conscionable getting backmost to afloat interaction sport, it's afloat interaction athletics astatine world level.

"I deliberation I've only had 1 interaction convention wherever I had a wee cry. It was nan first due deed to my thorax and I was fine, but I sewage a fright and I deliberation I needed to do that. And it was successful training. I was astatine nan correct shape of training to beryllium doing that.

"But I sewage a daze and I sewage a scare and I almost had to consciousness it and realise I'm fine. I'm perfectly fine.

"I had a wee outcry and past it was astir conscionable taking a mates of days and past backmost into it. And past I realised, okay, it's on, we're ready."

It will beryllium Wassell's 2nd World Cup and while nan thrill of reaching nan past 1 successful 2022 and ending Scotland's 12-year absence from nan tourney was thrilling, nan regrets astatine exiting astatine nan excavation shape are still raw.

"If I'm being honest, since that past World Cup, I person only ever really thought of this one," she said.

"There is regret location from nan past World Cup and that stings. To transportation it pinch you for 3 years, you realise you now person different opportunity and it mightiness beryllium your last.

"So it's truthful easy to opportunity we want to spell retired location and springiness our champion performance, which we perfectly do, but it's astir winning.

"It's astir making each infinitesimal count. In a World Cup, it's astir converting. It's astir winning.

"I don't attraction really we win, I conscionable want to win."