When it comes to the heyday of Wallaroos history, few players have given more to the jersey and the Australian women’s game than Emily Chancellor.
On Monday, the 35-year-old announced her retirement from international rugby after this weekend WXV Global Series conflict with Scotland.
The 41-capped Australian has packed a lot into an 11-year career at the top; appearing in two Women’s Rugby World Cups, playing in England and Japan, winning seven Women’s Super Rugby titles ia WXV 2 title. She also captained her nation four times and Barbara earlier this year.
With the Wallaroos poised to transition into a full-time program at the end of the year, for Chancellor, who juggles playing with a job at a construction company, now was the right time to step down.
“It was a big roller coaster of emotions,” Chancellor said. “Not many people have the opportunity to make this decision for themselves, so I’m really proud to be able to quit on my terms. I’ve been inundated with messages today.”
“I’m really proud of my contribution to the game and I’m excited for what’s next for me as well as the Wallaroos, but the way the Wallaroos are going down I think I know deep in my heart that’s not where I want to go with my rugby.
“I love the balanced life I’ve had with rugby and work, and I’m starting to get excited about what my future might hold. You don’t want to do the jersey a disservice. So it’s time to look elsewhere.”
“I’m so excited about the future of the girls on the court. I’ve been saying for the last couple of years that I have two more years left – before I do my ACL and get past that World Cup (2025).”
It was a surprisingly emotional announcement for Chancellor when she told the team on Monday – a side who revealed she had played alongside a staggering 108 Wallaroos players during her career.
“Then there’s a lot of girls that we’ve trained with, girls that have been on tour and aren’t playing, there’s a lot of girls that I’ve been able to be part of the program with,” Chancellor added.
“It’s a special place. We’ve seen the growth, we’ve been a part of some crazy experiences. It’s not just on the field, it’s the experiences off the field, the memories. It keeps you coming back for more.”
“The emotion is a good representation of how much this team means to me.”
After initially making the team in 2015, Chancellor took to the field in her 50th Test debut for the Wallaroos in 2018, playing against the Black Ferns at Accor Stadium in Sydney, and was named the Wallaroos Player of the Year later that season.
Taking up the sport aged 21 after playing netball, Chancellor took to it quickly.
“My first memories (are) of going to it Come and try a day of rugbyChancellor added.
“I’ve been a rugby fan for a long time, going to games with my mum and dad all the time growing up. I just didn’t realize you could do it as a girl.
“That first session when they said, okay, now you’re going to get a seizure, I was just standing there with the ball, somebody hit me and I came right back! I was like, that was absolutely terrifying… but I want to figure out how to do it better.
“This game is full of amazing people. I just remember my first experiences coming into the program in 2015, sitting with Cookie (Louise Burrows), Cloughy (Rebecca Clough), Alicia Hewitt and just thinking, these girls are amazing! They do it for love, I want to be part of this team.”
For Chancellor, her memories of her 2018 debut were clouded by the sheer adrenaline of earning her first cap, but the side will enjoy some incredible moments in her career.
“I was so terrified. The emotional roller coaster I went through that week was crazy,” Chancellor recalled. “This is one of my favorite games from a chaos perspective – I got an interception, I had some good offloads.
“I made a little line break and threw the ball to Alicia Hewitt to score our only try of the game – little moments that I’m really proud of. Adrenaline can do some crazy things to you.”
“It was a really special debut and then I’m going to do it again (in Sydney) last week, a full-circle moment, although I’m hoping to run one more time this week.
“This opener against New Zealand at the 2021 Rugby World Cup, to play that first half and silence the crowd at Eden Park was pretty special. It felt like the manic game that beat the French in the (2023) WXV Series in New Zealand.
“Captain of my country last year against Wales, then that World Cup opener was an incredible experience. I don’t know how you put it in words. I wouldn’t have pushed myself and my body and made the choices to choose this lifestyle for so many years if it wasn’t worth it.”
With the announcement confirmed, Chancellor will now focus his efforts on helping the Wallaroos secure a clean sheet Scotland this week in Canberra – earned her 42nd and final cap.
“Selfishly it would have been really nice to finish with a win, but from a team perspective we know that Scotland weren’t at their best last week,” Chancellor added. “It would be foolish for us to enter into this with any impudence.
“We produced a really good offense, but we know they’ve watched us play twice now. They’re going to see the way we played, so we have to respect them, focus on our physicality to earn the right to play wide, and let our rushers do what they do best.”
While the winger will move on to work with her construction company, she will be open to continuing to play domestic rugby in Super Rugby Women’s and for the University of Sydney, and plans to keep her feet firmly planted in the rugby world.
“I knew from the beginning that this was a game I wanted to be involved in,” Chancellor smiled. “If you had told me then that I would play internationally for eight years, I would probably have laughed at you.
“(I’m) definitely looking for ways to stay in rugby. Playing alongside 108 different girls over eight years; wow, what a sisterhood we have. I’m very privileged to be a part of it.”
