Archive April 24, 2025

Guinness Women’s Six Nations: Scotland v Ireland

Venue: Hive Stadium, Edinburgh Date: Saturday, 26 April Kick-off: 14:30 BST

On the face of it, it’s not the most exhilarating of news stories – rugby player returns to training, now hitting tackle bags – but in Emma Wassell’s case it’s as close to a sporting miracle as you are likely to get.

To recap the story of the 30-year-old, 67-time capped Scotland lock – last September a tumour (mercifully, benign) was discovered in her chest.

Then there was a bleed on the tumour. Then the first surgery to remove part of the tumour. Then a second surgery to remove the rest, a procedure that involved the collapsing of a lung.

She wanted to call out for her mum, but Pauline had died suddenly earlier in the year.

Whenever you hear the phrase ‘rugby family’ being used in the parlance of the game, the temptation is to brand it a cliche, but in Wassell’s case, it’s not.

Her team-mates rallied around her in and out of hospital like a gang of protective sisters.

“The health is very good,” the second row said on the BBC’s Scotland Rugby Podcast. “I’ve been running for four weeks now. I’m able to hit bags and hit the deck.

“I feel ready to keep pushing on. Mentally, I was worried about how I was going to feel doing contact but I’m ready to get stuck in.

“The last thing that really needs to be ticked off is bone-on-bone contact, which we might trickle into very, very soon. We’re honestly a few weeks short of playing.

“I tried very hard to push for the Ireland match [on Saturday] but there was no need to risk it. Focus on the World Cup. There’s so much to play for and I’m so excited.”

Wassell was only 29 when all of this was happening.

Her energy and positivity, her absolute love of the game and her appreciation of what it’s given her, is a sight to behold.

“Everyone’s like, ‘How did you get through?’ I do believe everyone would be the same,” she explains. “You don’t have a choice. When it’s happening to you, you have no choice other than to get through it.

“I’m in a fortunate position. I have so much to fight for. For me, a huge motivator is playing for Scotland.

“The surgeon heard it many times. When I was told I was going to need a sternotomy, I said, ‘I’ll be able to play rugby again, right?’ They’re like, ‘Just be grateful you’re alive’.

“Yes, I had a very serious operation but I believe I’ve been really lucky in this whole situation. I don’t know how you get through it, but you do.

“I always had this bigger picture of, ‘I have been given this shot again to be able to play again’, which I thought at one point was going to be taken away.

Getting the boots on again was the driving force. There’s no naivety here.

Wassell knows there’s still a distance to travel between getting well and getting back in the Test arena.

She doesn’t just want to come back, she wants to come back as a better version of her old self. That alone will be a challenge. Wassell played 54 consecutive games for Scotland at her peak.

“Hopefully this thing has given me a few extra years,” she laughs. “You cannot control your health but everything I’ve been able to control, I believe I’ve done.

“The goal is no sweeter than a World Cup, is it? That’s the ultimate. Some of the girls have given me a bit of stick. ‘You’re just wrapping yourself in cotton wool to get there!'”

The details of her treatment is the stuff of nightmares.

“The scariest bit was when I didn’t know what it was and they didn’t know how they were going to operate so I had to get all these biopsies,” she explains.

“When you’re going through the rib – to make sure that you don’t cause any damage, – you have to collapse a lung to get there.

“When I woke up after, I would say that was one of the hardest moments. My body was in all sorts of pain.

“I couldn’t understand why I couldn’t breathe properly, I had chest drains in which were extremely sore and I was in the high dependency ward in Edinburgh Royal Infirmary.

“There were a lot of very, very sick people in there and that was when I was scared. I’m almost crying out for… well… I didn’t have my mum there.

“She was a ray of sunshine in a room, a typically embarrassing proud mum. She was always watching me play. Honestly, with binoculars, couldn’t bloody see a thing. Didn’t know the rules. Didn’t matter. She was there, a constant.

“A lot of the reason why I wear a headband was so she could spot me.

“It was hard enough telling my brother about being sick because I didn’t want to put him through that. I would have hated putting my mum through it.”

Enter the Scotland team as auxiliary nurses.

“I live my life with a lot of humour so even when I am lying in my hospital bed with tubes coming out of me, please crack a joke,” she says.

“And they did and sometimes I would crack the joke and they’d be like, ‘Can we laugh? We don’t know’. We’ve been through a hell of a lot. It’s not just me. We’ve been through a huge journey together.”

Wassell joked with them that she’d be back in time for the Ireland game and the reaction was hilarious.

Don’t even think about it, was the hysterical gist. They weren’t emotionally ready for her return. They wouldn’t be able to cope.

So, a warm-up game ahead of the World Cup is the hope and the plan. No matter where it is and no matter who it’s against, it will be special.

The thought of it got her through the most awful time in her life and it feels more real now than at any point since illness got her.

Guinness Women’s Six Nations: Scotland v Ireland

Venue: Hive Stadium, Edinburgh Date: Saturday, 26 April Kick-off: 14:30 BST

On the face of it, it’s not the most exhilarating of news stories – rugby player returns to training, now hitting tackle bags – but in Emma Wassell’s case it’s as close to a sporting miracle as you are likely to get.

To recap the story of the 30-year-old, 67-time capped Scotland lock – last September a tumour (mercifully, benign) was discovered in her chest.

Then there was a bleed on the tumour. Then the first surgery to remove part of the tumour. Then a second surgery to remove the rest, a procedure that involved the collapsing of a lung.

She wanted to call out for her mum, but Pauline had died suddenly earlier in the year.

Whenever you hear the phrase ‘rugby family’ being used in the parlance of the game, the temptation is to brand it a cliche, but in Wassell’s case, it’s not.

Her team-mates rallied around her in and out of hospital like a gang of protective sisters.

“The health is very good,” the second row said on the BBC’s Scotland Rugby Podcast. “I’ve been running for four weeks now. I’m able to hit bags and hit the deck.

“I feel ready to keep pushing on. Mentally, I was worried about how I was going to feel doing contact but I’m ready to get stuck in.

“The last thing that really needs to be ticked off is bone-on-bone contact, which we might trickle into very, very soon. We’re honestly a few weeks short of playing.

“I tried very hard to push for the Ireland match [on Saturday] but there was no need to risk it. Focus on the World Cup. There’s so much to play for and I’m so excited.”

Wassell was only 29 when all of this was happening.

Her energy and positivity, her absolute love of the game and her appreciation of what it’s given her, is a sight to behold.

“Everyone’s like, ‘How did you get through?’ I do believe everyone would be the same,” she explains. “You don’t have a choice. When it’s happening to you, you have no choice other than to get through it.

“I’m in a fortunate position. I have so much to fight for. For me, a huge motivator is playing for Scotland.

“The surgeon heard it many times. When I was told I was going to need a sternotomy, I said, ‘I’ll be able to play rugby again, right?’ They’re like, ‘Just be grateful you’re alive’.

“Yes, I had a very serious operation but I believe I’ve been really lucky in this whole situation. I don’t know how you get through it, but you do.

“I always had this bigger picture of, ‘I have been given this shot again to be able to play again’, which I thought at one point was going to be taken away.

Getting the boots on again was the driving force. There’s no naivety here.

Wassell knows there’s still a distance to travel between getting well and getting back in the Test arena.

She doesn’t just want to come back, she wants to come back as a better version of her old self. That alone will be a challenge. Wassell played 54 consecutive games for Scotland at her peak.

“Hopefully this thing has given me a few extra years,” she laughs. “You cannot control your health but everything I’ve been able to control, I believe I’ve done.

“The goal is no sweeter than a World Cup, is it? That’s the ultimate. Some of the girls have given me a bit of stick. ‘You’re just wrapping yourself in cotton wool to get there!'”

The details of her treatment is the stuff of nightmares.

“The scariest bit was when I didn’t know what it was and they didn’t know how they were going to operate so I had to get all these biopsies,” she explains.

“When you’re going through the rib – to make sure that you don’t cause any damage, – you have to collapse a lung to get there.

“When I woke up after, I would say that was one of the hardest moments. My body was in all sorts of pain.

“I couldn’t understand why I couldn’t breathe properly, I had chest drains in which were extremely sore and I was in the high dependency ward in Edinburgh Royal Infirmary.

“There were a lot of very, very sick people in there and that was when I was scared. I’m almost crying out for… well… I didn’t have my mum there.

“She was a ray of sunshine in a room, a typically embarrassing proud mum. She was always watching me play. Honestly, with binoculars, couldn’t bloody see a thing. Didn’t know the rules. Didn’t matter. She was there, a constant.

“A lot of the reason why I wear a headband was so she could spot me.

“It was hard enough telling my brother about being sick because I didn’t want to put him through that. I would have hated putting my mum through it.”

Enter the Scotland team as auxiliary nurses.

“I live my life with a lot of humour so even when I am lying in my hospital bed with tubes coming out of me, please crack a joke,” she says.

“And they did and sometimes I would crack the joke and they’d be like, ‘Can we laugh? We don’t know’. We’ve been through a hell of a lot. It’s not just me. We’ve been through a huge journey together.”

Wassell joked with them that she’d be back in time for the Ireland game and the reaction was hilarious.

Don’t even think about it, was the hysterical gist. They weren’t emotionally ready for her return. They wouldn’t be able to cope.

So, a warm-up game ahead of the World Cup is the hope and the plan. No matter where it is and no matter who it’s against, it will be special.

The thought of it got her through the most awful time in her life and it feels more real now than at any point since illness got her.

Scotland vs. Ireland: Guinness Women’s Six Nations

Location: Hive Stadium, Edinburgh Date: Saturday, April 26 Kick-off: 14:30 BST

Although it may not seem like the most exciting news story, a rugby player returns to training and is now hitting tackle bags, Emma Wassell’s case seems as close to a sporting miracle as you can get.

To sum up the 30-year-old, 67-time captained Scotland lock’s story, a benign tumor was discovered in her chest last September.

The tumor then began to bleed. Then the initial procedure to remove a portion of the tumor. Then a second operation, which involved a lung collapsing, was required to remove the remaining material.

Although Pauline had passed away suddenly earlier in the year, she wanted to call out her mother.

When the phrase “rugby family” is used in the game’s dialect, there’s a temptation to label it as cliche, but Wassell’s is not.

Her teammates rallied around her while she was in and out of the hospital like a gang of vigilant sisters.

On the BBC’s Scotland Rugby Podcast, the second row remarked, “The health is very good.” “I’ve been running for four weeks now. I can hit the deck and bag bags.

I’m prepared to continue my efforts. I was concerned about how it would affect me when I made contact, but I’m now completely relaxed.

Bone-on-bone contact, which we might develop very, very soon, is the last thing that really needs to be ticked off. We still have a few weeks to go before we can play.

There was no need to risk it, despite my best efforts to get ready for the Ireland game on Saturday. World Cup of Dreams focus. I’m so excited because there is so much to play for.

When all of this transpired, Wassell was only 29.

A sight to behold is her enthusiasm and positivity, her unwavering love of the game, and her appreciation for what it has given her.

Everyone asks, “How did you get through? ” She explains, “I do think everyone would be the same.” You are at your own discretion. You have no other choice but to deal with it when it occurs to you.

“It’s a good thing I’m in.” There is so much for which I must fight. Playing for Scotland is a huge motivator for me.

The surgeon has repeated it. I said, “I’ll be able to play rugby again, right? ” when I was told I would need a sternotomy. They say, “Just be grateful you’re alive.”

“Yes, I had a very serious operation, but I think I’ve been really lucky in this,” she said. You do, but I’m not sure how you managed to get through it.

I always believed at some point that “I have been given this shot again to be able to play again,” and that this image was going to be taken away.

The driving force was to re-enter the boots. No naivety is displayed here.

Wassell is aware that getting well and returning to the Test room are still very far apart.

She wants to return as a better version of herself, not just as she once was. That will be challenging on its own. At her best, Wattle won 54 games for Scotland.

She chuckles, “Hopefully, this will give me a few more years.” You can’t control your health, but I do believe I can do everything I can.

Isn’t a World Cup the sweetest thing to do? The ultimate is that. Some of the girls have a little stick at me. You’re just tying yourself to the destination with cotton wool. “

Details about how she is treated are what make people have nightmares.

The most terrifying experience occurred when I had to get all these biopsies because I didn’t know what it was and they didn’t know how to operate, she says.

You must collapse a lung to get there in order to make sure that you don’t cause any damage when you’re going through the rib.

One of the hardest things to do is to wake up after that. My entire body was hurting.

“I had chest drains that were extremely painful, and I was in the high dependency ward of Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, and I couldn’t understand why I couldn’t breathe properly.”

I was frightened when there were many extremely sick people inside. I’m almost crying out for, well… My mother was not with me there.

She was a typically embarrassing proud mother, and she was a shining example of that. She was constantly watching my play. Without binoculars, I couldn’t really see anything. lacked knowledge of the rules. It was irrelevant. She was a constant there.

She could see me, which is a big part of the reason I wear a headband.

I didn’t want to put my brother through that, so I made it difficult to tell him about being ill. I would have hated trying to help my mother.

As auxiliary nurses, join the Scotland team.

Please crack a joke out loud because I live my life with a lot of humor, even when I’m lying in my hospital bed with tubes coming out of me.

“And they did, and I would occasionally make a joke and say, “Can we laugh?” We are unsure. We’ve endured a lot of hardship. Not just me, though. We’ve been a significant journey together.

Wassell joked with them that she would return for the Ireland game, and they both laughed off the joke.

The hysterical gist was, “Don’t even think about it,” that’s it. They didn’t feel ready to see her return emotionally. They couldn’t handle it.

Therefore, both the goal and the strategy are to play a warm-up game before the World Cup. It will be unique no matter where it is and who it opposes.

She endured the worst period of her life because of it, and it feels more real now than ever before because of illness.

Villa atston have announced plans to take Villa Park’s capacity to over 50,000 by redeveloping the North Stand.

The North Stand will be completely renovated, resulting in an increase in the number of seats that are still available from about 5, 000 to 12, 000.

Villa claims that the stadium’s capacity will increase from 42, 918 to over 50, 000 with smaller upgrades to the other three stands.

The club claims that the ground’s current capacity won’t decrease as a result of the building works’ completion by the second half of 2027.

“We will now be able to offer this incredible experience to thousands more, all while meeting the key challenge of executing this project without compromising matchday capacity during the process thanks to the hard work and collaboration of an exceptional team,” said the team’s leader.

Villa had previously suggested destroying the North Stand, but those plans were put off because it would have resulted in a temporary capacity reduction of about 36, 000.

BBC Sport’s top football correspondent, Phil McNulty

Villa atston’s announcement of expansion plans to extend the capacity of Villa Park to more than 50,000 is another indicator of the ambition fuelling the club’s revival under manager Unai Emery.

Villa have reached the Champions League quarter-finals after being beaten 5-4 on aggregate by Paris St Germain under the leadership of executive chairman Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens.

Owners who want to keep Villa’s momentum have helped manager Emery, working alongside his long-time cohort Monchi, Villa’s president of football operations, see their work supported in the transfer market, as evidenced by the signings of Marcus Rashford from Manchester United, Marco Asensio from PSG, and Donyell Malen from Borussia Dortmund on a permanent deal in January.

This has now expanded to include the renaissance masterminded by Emery, which is transforming Villa Park from its current capacity beyond the 50, 000 mark.

Villa reached the Champions League last year before breaking through the glass ceiling of the Premier League.