FP Scotland Rugby Captain Rachel Malcolm visits Primary School

We were delighted to welcome back former pupil Rachel Malcolm (C2009) to the primary school.

Rachel held a Q&A with our primary pupils, answering questions about her life as Captain of the Women’s Scotland Team and her journey after leaving school.

Here are some of the questions our pupils asked Rachel:

What is it like to be a captain?

“I think being a captain is a big responsibility. You do a lot of the talking, and you represent the views of all your teammates. You must build relationships and make friendships so that you understand how your teammates feel, and you can represent them to the best of your ability. I feel very proud to be the captain.”

What qualities do you need to be a captain?

“One thing about your leadership, and about being captain, is that you and your team don’t all need to be the same.
Me being the Scotland captain is probably very different to what it looks like being the England captain. You need to lead by example, setting a standard for good behaviour, both on and off the pitch. For me, I am also a very vocal captain. I’m very enthusiastic, and I’m always encouraging my teammates, which is really important.”

Are you the captain because you are the best?

“I am absolutely not; no. I have never been the best at any sport that I’ve played. It’s not always about being the best, but it’s about having the biggest impact on other people. So for me, being a good captain is probably the person who helps everyone else in the team play their best. So, if I can help whoever’s beside me on the pitch do their job better, and I can do that for as many people in the room as possible, the team’s going to be the best they can be.”

“Some captains may be the best, but I work hard, and I’ll try to be the best I can be. And I think that’s so important in sport and in life, whatever your hobby is, it’s not about comparing yourself to the person next to you. It’s about being the best that you can be on that day.”

What was your favourite team and player growing up?

“Glasgow Warriors were my favourite team growing up, being Glasgow born and bred. My favourite player growing up was my brother. He was also a professional rugby player, and he was the one who inspired me to try rugby.”

How old were you when you started playing rugby?

“My rugby journey was a bit different. I played hockey throughout school and university. I never tried rugby until I played touch rugby in the summer with some friends when I was 25 (which is really old!). I loved it straight away, and I thought, I want to go and play for Scotland and focus all my attention on rugby, and a year later I got my first cap.”

“When you find the things you love, dive into them and give them everything you have so you can feel like whatever happens, whatever the outcome, you gave it everything and left no stone unturned.”

What advice would you give to young girls wanting to play rugby?

“My biggest piece of advice is not to compare yourself to other people. I am a big believer that everyone’s journey in life is unique. Everyone’s journey to success is unique. The most important thing is to focus on is being your best self, being the best you can be and not comparing yourself to anyone.”

What would be an inspiring story for young rugby players?

“I think there are a lot of different stories. I am very lucky to be surrounded by people who have had so many different experiences and have fought to succeed because they love what they do. They have battled illness and injury; the people around you who work hard are the inspiring stories.”

For the first time this year, the Scottish women’s team played at Murrayfield. What was that like?

“We played in front of 30,000 people, and it was incredible. A lot more than we have ever had before, it was the biggest women’s sporting event that Scotland has ever seen. So many people singing Flower of Scotland was so special and inspiring because we have worked hard to grow this game, so seeing how many new people have taken it up is positive to see.”

Thank you to Rachel for her time talking to our pupils and inspiring future generations at Hutchie!