Scotland Women player Rachel McLachlan is the first recipient of the Friends of Scottish Rugby Women’s Trophy.

The specially commissioned trophy was designed by student, Nadia Tahar, at Edinburgh College of Art after she heard from Scotland age-grade flanker Rachel Law just what it means to play rugby.

The trophy was presented at the Friends of Scottish Rugby annual dinner alongside established trophies for the young Scottish male player of the year (Darcy Graham); and the young London Scottish player of the year (Lewis Wynne).

McLachlan, 20, a former Scottish judo champion and Sainsbury’s School games judo champion, began playing rugby when she started at Glasgow Caledonian University.

The physiotherapy student also played for West of Scotland before making the move to Stirling County in 2018. McLachlan received her first cap for Scotland in the 7s in Paris against Poland and Russia in the summer of 2018.

Her first XV-a-side cap came in 2018 against Italy away where she came off the bench. Four weeks later, when Scotland played Canada at Scotstoun, McLachlan was in the starting XV and has held her spot in the starting squad for all matches since.

McLachlan said: “It was a massive honour to receive the first women’s award from Friends of Scottish Rugby. It is really positive to see such support for women’s rugby, especially in Scotland and I am very happy to have played a small part in this.

‘The trophy design took time and dedication and to the designer Nadia and the rest of Edinburgh College of Art, I can’t thank you enough.

“Overall it was an absolute pleasure to attend the night and a massive step forward for women’s rugby.”

David MacKay, President of Friends of Scottish Rugby, said: “What a pleasure that the inaugural Women’s Trophy went to Rachel. A very worthy winner – an exceptional flanker with a wonderful future ahead, as well as a modest, charming and delightful person who won the hearts and minds of all she met.”

The Award was designed and created by Edinburgh College of Art Silversmithing Department and will be awarded annually to the most promising female Scottish player. This new award came as a way for the Friends of Scottish Rugby to recognise and support the growing popularity of women’s rugby in Scotland and the rest of the UK.

The designer Nadia Tahar described the trophy as celebrating Scottish women’s rugby by representing strength, passion as well as femininity. The rugby ball base symbolises the grassroots passion that makes the ball grow. On the base there are ball shapes where the names of the winners will be engraved. The body is filled with growing rugby balls that gradually change shape to create a thistle at the top.