As far as an opening pair of Allianz Premiership Women’s Rugby starts go, Ellen Scantlebury couldn’t have picked a better time to launch herself onto the big stage.
Three tries scored in four Allianz Premiership Cup games in the early weeks of the 2023/24 season hinted that the Somerset native was ready for the next challenge that she has subsequently grabbed with both hands in recent weeks.
After getting her first taste of PWR rugby with 12 minutes off the bench in Round 1 against Saracens back in November, the 20-year-old slotted back into BUCS rugby where her try-scoring prowess was showcased on university pitches up and down the country.
None more so than on a devastating late January day in Durham when Scantlebury scored five tries in an emphatic 77-5 victory. It wasn’t a one off, as she crossed the line four more times across five other games to keep her name in Loughborough Lightning selection discussions.
Ahead of the PWR trip to Bristol Bears in Round 12, the nod finally came.
“I hadn’t been on a Lightning training schedule, I had no idea,” said the Cheddar-born back. “Whitey [Alex White, attack coach] just said there’s a possibility that you are going to be in the 23 as long as though you train well this evening.
“I thought, that’s exciting at Ashton Gate, that’s where I always watched rugby from when I was growing up.”
Ellen Scantlebury
“The team sheet came out and I was starting! I thought I might get the bench, I didn't think I would go straight in and that was definitely quite the shock. It was really exciting.”
Scantlebury’s full Lightning debut came on the same night that 108-times capped Red Roses international Emily Scarratt made her return from injury after 13 months out, before a crowd of more than 3,000 people and with TNT Sports televising proceedings live.
That 60-minute contribution was the latest milestone of a rugby career that began at school under the watchful eye of coach Gareth Waterfield, who introduced her to Winscombe RFC where she played for eight seasons before spending two Covid-impacted years at Hartpury College.
After initially juggling her Sports Coaching studies at the University of Nottingham with Lightning commitments, Scantlebury transferred her degree over to Loughborough midway through her first year as her rugby progressed from BUCS 2 and ultimately onto Allianz PWR.
“I really enjoy the pathway at Loughborough,” she said. “Because if you are not getting a load of game time in the Premiership you have got a good outlet to play to a really good standard of rugby and still have the likes of Nathan [Smith, head coach] and Whitey watching you play. You're still getting really good exposure.
“I was worried I would feel out of place. I think I didn’t feel too uncomfortable.
“It has been a really good opportunity, playing televised games, and when there’s a crowd of people there. I really enjoyed it and it helped me a lot getting some exposure.”
Ellen Scantlebury
“It is pretty cool being on TV, you get a lot of texts from friends or family. A lot of the ‘they’re very proud of you’ sort of thing. But also, you get some downfalls, if you make a mistake, your mates let you know about it! It is weird because you sort of grow up watching all the men’s games on TV and you see the pitch looks massive and it all looks sort of not like how you play rugby, then when you watch yourself on the pitch, it’s very bizarre. It’s like wow, there’s commentators!
“The Super PWR Weekend was a really good idea and shows a lot of development in the women’s game.”
Live television cameras will not be at Sandy Park for her third-straight involvement in the run-out squad on Saturday afternoon, but there will be some familiar faces in the crowd cheering on the visiting number 14.
“My family is originally from Devon so it’s going to be the highlight of the year for my granddad!”, Scantlebury said. “It’s going to be a really tough test for us against Exeter Chiefs, but we travel without fear and with excitement about the challenge ahead.”
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