Ella Wyrwas
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| Date of birth | 7 March 1999 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Place of birth | London, England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.6 m (5 ft 3 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 63 kg (9 st 13 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Ella Maria Wyrwas (born 7 March 1999) is an English rugby union player, who currently plays as a scrum-half for Saracens Women in Premiership Women's Rugby, the top-flight competition of women's rugby union in England.[2]
Wyrwas began her senior rugby career when she made her debut for Saracens at the age of 18. She initially played as a centre, but was subsequently deemed too small to continue in that position, resulting in her transition to scrum-half.[3] Her debut season culminated in winning the 2017–18 Premier 15s title, as she was among the replacements in the club's 24–20 final victory over Harlequins.[4]
In September 2018, Wyrwas moved to Premier 15s rivals Loughborough Lightning. The move was due to the club's proximity to the University of Nottingham, where she had earned a sports scholarship to pursue undergraduate studies.[5] However, her playing time was cut short significantly after she sustained serious knee damage in 2019, rupturing her anterior cruciate ligament and lateral collateral ligament. The injury required two operations and resulted in an 18-month layoff.[6] She resumed her spell at Loughborough during the 2020–21 season.
Wyrwas returned for a second stint at Saracens in 2021, and quickly established herself as the team's first-choice scrum-half.[7] She helped the club to achieve its fourth consecutive first-place finish in the 2021–22 regular season, before starting in the play-off final in June 2022, as Saracens were crowned champions by defeating Exeter Chiefs with a score of 43–21.[8] Her performances over the course of the year also earned her recognition in the official Premier 15s Team of the Season.[9]
International career
Wyrwas has represented England at both U18s and U20s levels.[3] Strong performances for Saracens led to her first call-ups to the England senior squad from head coach Simon Middleton, firstly for the 2021 Autumn Internationals and then the 2022 Women's Six Nations Championship, although she did not receive a cap.[10] Despite missing out on the final squad for the 2021 Rugby World Cup, she was recalled ahead of the 2023 Women's Six Nations.[11]
Wyrwas made her international debut on 25 March 2023, as a replacement in England's 58–7 victory against Scotland.[12] This was followed by her first test start, and her first international try, in a 42–7 win over Australia at WXV 2023.[13] In November of that year, she was awarded a full-time central contract with the Red Roses.[14]
