Rachel Philipps: 'We feel like we took a step forward'

Rachel Philipps is a qualified teacher and, last Saturday, Scotland supporters learnt why she could have an exciting future ahead with the national team.

The 24-year-old centre, who did not take up rugby until she was 15 at her local club Biggar, has been in and around the national team squad since mid-2024 but has had to be patient for her opportunities.

Before the weekend’s Guinness Women’s Six Nations Round 4 match with France at Hive Stadium, both of her caps had come off the bench, one away against England last year and one away against Italy in Round 3 of this year’s tournament.

With head coach Sione Fukofuka looking for more “directness” and a “little bit more punch” against the title chasing French, he gave Philipps a first start for her country in this one and she certainly made the most of it in the number 13 jersey.

Although Scotland lost 69-28, she brought that directness and punch to the party that the coach was after and she scored two first half tries thanks to running hard lines from good build up play.

“I do love running a line, it’s one of my favourite things to do,” Philipps, who started the season with Sale Sharks and has more recently been turning out for Edinburgh Rugby in the Celtic Challenge, explained.

“Ever since I started rugby, I’ve always been one of the taller centres so to use that as my advantage has always been pretty handy.

“Last week leading into this game knowing that I was going to start I was really supported by all of the backs and especially Helen Nelson and Meryl Smith.

“They are good communicators at 10 and 12 respectively and made my role within the team really clear.

“As a result, I was feeling comfortable heading into the game and I felt like the whole week we prepped really well, we had really good contact days at training and we felt like we could front up to France physically.

“We felt really clear with what we wanted to do in attack during the first half.

“When we were in the right places, territory-wise, we did execute really well. I managed to get my first two tries for Scotland and that really let us grow into the game.

“Obviously we lost in the end, but we feel like we took a step forward in this game.”

Straight after the game Philipps, who progressed from Biggar to Edinburgh University and then to Watsonians before joining Sale in 2024, headed over to the stand to see her parents who have been her biggest supporters on her rugby journey so far.

“They’re the biggest supporters and it means so much to me,” she stated.

“My dad came out to Parma for the previous game against Italy and he had the best time while they were both at the England game last year away when I made my debut in Leicester.

“Dad also came to South Africa for WXV 2 in 2024 when I didn’t get to play in the end, but having him there on my first tour meant a lot.

“I couldn’t ask for better support from my parents and all of my friends have been the best support system too.

“At the weekend, my mum and dad were there with my godparents and my friends from Sale were there too and some of my Edinburgh friends, there was a whole gang.

“I also did love seeing all of my pupils that I taught at St David’s in Dalkeith [in 2023/24] there after the game. I’m so grateful for the impact that I’ve had on them, but also the impact they’ve had on me to still be showing up for me and for these games is so lovely.

“It was my first start for my country and my first home game and that was special. I do feel like everyone really came together to support me and the opportunity that I’d been given and I feel like I took it with them all behind me.”

As Scotland have found to their cost during this campaign, injuries are part and parcel of the game these days.

And it was an injury that ruled Philipps out of last year’s Women’s Rugby World Cup in England.

“It was definitely tough missing out on the World Cup with my knee,” she concluded.

“It was actually a grade one MCL injury and, just with the length of time I had to be in a brace, it was too tight to then get back before the warm-up games.

“Getting to the tournament was just not on the cards for me unfortunately, but I do think that I’ve used this season with Sale and then Edinburgh to really grow and I’m definitely in a much better place than I was pre-World Cup and I am all about looking forward now.”

Scotland are currently fifth in the Women’s Six Nations standings and travel to the Aviva Stadium in Dublin to take on third placed Ireland in Round 5 this Sunday.