Rachel McLachlan: Making every moment count

The 27-year-old flanker is currently Down Under with the national team preparing for the first away match of the WXV Global Series which will see Scotland take on the Wallaroos for the first time ever on Australian soil. A final Test will follow in Canberra.

This Test comes after three home fixtures at Hive Stadium across September when Scotland took on Canada, New Zealand and Australia, with Rachel making her first appearance in the competition against the latter three weeks ago.

And now with two more match opportunities in Sydney and Canberra to pull on the Scotland jersey, Rachel, who overcame injury to get back fit and be selected in the 32-player squad, is raring to take her shot.

“It has been quite a long and tough rehab, but it has been so nice to be in with everybody and to be back with the girls,” she explained from the team’s base in New South Wales.

“I’m just really grateful to be here and want to help push us on and, hopefully, get some game time in the coming games. I’m just looking forward to being back and playing some rugby again.”

“I have been on a bit of a rehab journey and there have been setbacks in terms of getting back and then getting reinjured during the Six Nations.

“To get some consistent time where I’m training and playing was the aim, and I knew during the rehab in the summer that next up was WXV.

“For me, the goal was to be fit and flying the best I could to be available for selection. I’m just really pleased that we got to this spot and I’m excited to kick on.”

Taking a moment to appreciate how far she has come following recent injury struggles is something Rachel makes sure to do.

In fact, making the most of the moments and honing in on what they mean to her is something the 60-cap international tries to do across all aspects of her life, including this current tour of Australia.

“This tour is a massive opportunity,” she said. “Rugby is such a vessel for so many things – not just improving yourself as a rugby player, but also the experiences we get to have and we get to do them with our friends as well.

“We are such a tight group and being able to come across the world and play here really resonates with me. It’s just absolutely class and a cool part to what we get to do.

“From a rugby perspective, it is really important that we learn whilst we are over here. Playing at home is one thing, but going away and doing it on someone else’s turf is really tough, especially when it is on the other side of the world.

“As a squad, this is really going to push us on. We have got a developing group, and it is going to be invaluable for us to experience a tour and see how that works and how we manage things on and off the pitch being away from home.”

To currently be in Australia hoping to earn her 61^st cap for Scotland is not something Rachel could have envisioned in her future when she first started playing rugby at a university taster session in Glasgow.

“I would say I’m actually quite a reflective person,” the Edinburgh-native added. “I do try to sit in the moment and take time to think about these opportunities.

“I’m so thankful to be back after being injured, but during that time you do see the other side of it and what life looks like when you’re not involved and you have more time to look back on how things have gone.

“Time has gone by so quickly that sometimes you don’t envision where this is all going to go, but it does take a lot of hard work.

“Sometimes I look back and it is wild, but I’m so incredibly grateful for the journey and hopefully it keeps going for a while.

“When I try to be in a poignant moment or when I feel incredibly grateful, I just try and really sit with those emotions and sit in that feeling. When it comes to this trip and getting to this point, I’ve tried to sit with it.

“It was a tough last season for me and when I look back at the last six to nine months and being here now, having the honour to be a part of this group is something that is definitely not lost on me.”

Embracing different experiences extends beyond Rachel’s international career, with her having made the move to France to play with Montpellier in 2024.

That move, like the tour of Australia, the Rugby World Cup in New Zealand, playing in South Africa for WXV2 and several editions of the Women’s Six Nations, has helped fill Rachel’s cup both as a person and an athlete.

And striking that balance between life on and off the pitch is an incredibly important thing to her.

“The way I look at things is life and rugby,” Rachel continued. “For me, it’s important you don’t get too set in your ways and to develop I believe you have to see new things both as a person and as a rugby player.

“For the rugby aspect, moving to France I knew what I wanted to achieve in terms of their attacking play, which is second to none over there, and they have a very special style of rugby that I wanted to immerse myself in.

“As a person, moving to France was a really tough thing to do and it was difficult at times, but I think it was something I needed to do at that time to push myself on.

“I’m really glad I did it because it has ticked all the boxes that I wanted it to.”

From the challenges of adapting to life in France to the opportunity to test herself on the international stage around the world, Rachel McLachlan has embraced the experiences rugby has brought her way. With more challenges ahead in Australia, she is keen to keep learning, developing and making the most of the journey.

Watch Rachel and her Scotland Women teammates take on Australia in Sydney on RugbyPass TV.