Rachel Philipps: The gentle aggressor in Scotland’s midfield

Philipps sprung into the wider rugby consciousness with a barnstorming individual performance against France in the 2026 Guinness Women’s Six Nations.

That afternoon, she lit up Hive Stadium in a high-scoring tussle against the world’s fourth-best side, going over for her first two Scotland tries in a breakthrough performance that helped secure a bonus point.

That brace was telling for its brawn as much as its brain, with Rachel’s carefully engineered running lines allowing her to pierce the French defence and bulldoze over the line on both occasions.

But how does such aggression marry with a mild-mannered nature away from the action?

Pictured: Rachel going over for one of her two tries against France in the 2026 Guinness Women’s Six Nations at Hive Stadium.

“I think it is an alter ego,” Rachel says. I feel like I switch it on and that when I’m on the pitch I’m a very different person. Even the switch between training and a game; I feel the adrenaline. Running a line is one of my favourite parts of attack and I don’t even think about the aggression, it’s more about timing things perfectly and I like that precision.

“So, yeah, it just comes out in the changing room!”

Rachel’s opportunity in the side came about, as is so often the case in sport, with a lack of fortune of others. An injury to incumbent 13 Emma Orr opened up a space for Rachel to glide into, mirroring her on-pitch tactics. Playing outside good friend Meryl Smith also eased the transition into the international ranks.

“It all happened with two unfortunate injuries to class 13s [Orr and Evie Wills] and it happened from there,” recalled Philipps on her inclusion in the Six Nations.

“I’d been in and around camp the past couple of years but I think playing for Edinburgh and getting game time there really helped prepare for what came.

“And I love playing with Meryl, we did that a lot at uni and U20s, and we lived together for three years during uni, with two basketball players, so it was a very sporty house!

“She’s such a great player and at uni she was always 12 and I’d play 13, and that helps with timings of lines; she’s such an easy person to play off. I think with Nelly [Helen Nelson] works so well together, it makes the outside backs’ job so much easier.

“I feel like I know a lot of the girls in camp now and just getting to know everyone in different environments makes such a difference coming into camp. It’s such an intense environment, those little connections that you make before make such a big difference.

You can read this interview in full in our matchday programme for the Vodafone Scotland WXV Series, available at Hive Stadium on match days or direct through PPL Group here.