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England great Emily Scarratt says she could have prolonged her playing career, but that winning a second Rugby World Cup felt like the perfect conclusion to 17 years in the Test game.
"I probably could have done a bit more, but I don't think I needed to," the 35-year-old told Rugby Union Weekly. "That's why it feels right.
"It is the perfect time to call it a night. I have had an amazing time, I am in a good place, I can make this decision on my own terms."
However, Scarratt, who announced her retirement from playing on Tuesday, admitted she has found stepping away tough.
"I have been overwhelmed, and probably a bit unsure about how I feel," she added.
"It's been in my mind for a little while, but it is one thing thinking it, another deciding on it, and a third continually saying it and everyone knowing.
"The bit coming back at you is the bit I struggle with - I have had some lovely messages that have tipped me over the edge a little bit with people saying some nice things.
"I am obviously a bit heavy hearted as it's the game I've loved for so long and given so much to but, on reflection, I am proud and excited about the next bit as well."
An 18-year-old Scarratt came off the bench to score a try on her England debut against the United States in August 2008. She could have appeared for the national team a few months before, but opted to concentrate on her A-Levels, rather than go on a summer tour.
Since then she has scored 754 points - an all-time Red Roses record - and was named World Player of the Year in 2019.
The last of 119 caps was also against the United States, coming off the bench for a 20-minute cameo in the 2025 Rugby World Cup opener.
It was Scarratt's only game time of the campaign, but she says she feels that her contribution on the sidelines and around the camp was just as crucial as her more obvious involvement in four previous World Cups.
"I genuinely really enjoyed the whole tournament, obviously I am a rugby player and therefore want to play rugby, but this tournament was slightly different and my role was not probably never going to be front and centre of playing," she said.
"I always have tried to be the team player, but for such a long period of my career I was always starting, therefore I think it is a lot harder to show it.
"But it has always been quite important to me to be able to show the strength of a team is the entire team, no matter what role you have within that."
Left out of the matchday squad, Scarratt frequently carried the water bottles for the Red Roses as they closed in on victory.
She had the role for the final in front of 81,885 fans as England successfully saw off Canada to win the World Cup once more.
"I was very conscious of keeping an eye on the clock and doing my job, but there was a point with about 30 seconds to go when I was on the radio," she remembered.
"I looked up to the coaches boxes and probably said a few expletives along with 'we're world champions'.
"That feeling in that stadium, it was unbelievable. I never thought I would experience something like that, because I didn't see it happening in our game.
"To be at home, to be successful in front of that many people - I was very glassy eyed at the end... and probably also because I knew it was going to be the end [for me] as well."
In the aftermath of England's victory, it was reported that R360 - a proposed new global series involving top players - had contacted England stars to recruit them as figurehead signings for the inaugural 2026 edition., external
The Rugby Football Union, in coordination with other leading nations, subsequently banned any R360 players from representing their national sides.
"I don't know if I should be offended, but I definitely wasn't approached to play in it!" Scarratt joked.
"Potentially for the women's game, it is slightly different to the men's - we are constantly looking for investment and financial support.
"It is going to be an interesting time with players deciding whether international stuff or the lure of potential money [is the right choice for them]. I'd love there to be a place for it all."
Scarratt will continue her involvement in the game as an assistant coach for Loughborough Lightning, a television pundit, a podcast presenter and working with the RFU on the development of young talent.
