Giselle Chicot has lived in Scotland for eight years, recently played for Edinburgh Rugby in the Celtic Challenge and has French family connections.
As a result, there is no one better to chat to ahead of the big Guinness Women’s Six Nations match between France and Scotland in La Rochelle this weekend than the 25-year-old Watsonians centre.
“I am very much looking forward to the game,” she stated.
“I think the rugby styles of both teams are very different to each other, I think you can tell there is a difference in the style of play between the Elite 1 French Premiership and the PWR in England where most of the Scotland players play when you watch the international games.
“France has always played a strong, physical game, but the new players that have come into the Scotland squad the last few years have made a big difference and have matched that physicality.
“Last year it was a fairly close game so I’m sure it’ll be an exciting one to watch. I’m also excited to see new caps like Adelle Ferrie continue to show what she can do as well as Molly Poolman who could debut here from the bench.
“And hopefully over the rest of the campaign the likes of Hannah Ramsay and Rhea Clarke get the chance to show their skills as well.
“The Six Nations has come around soon after the Celtic Challenge finished and playing for Edinburgh was a great experience. It was really exciting to play alongside some very talented players from the Premiership and elsewhere and Edinburgh is my home so to be able to wear the badge was amazing.
“I really enjoyed playing against the Irish teams as even though they were tough opponents we were playing against some of the best players in the world. Most of them had been part of the Irish squad that beat the Black Ferns in WXV 1 last year and it showed us how much we can do against them, but also what we need to work on as a nation to get better.
“I played quite a bit at 13 this season which I hadn’t done so much in the past, and though challenging I think it really helped develop my skills and broaden my understanding of the game.
“Playing against the likes of the Welsh and the Irish really showed why Scotland needs to invest into its women’s game as the competition is a great way to bridge that gap between the domestic and international game and it can help produce some exciting homegrown talent for the national squad.”
Chicot is currently studying for a Masters in Human Rights and International Politics at the University of Glasgow and her close family is all British, but the family was originally French hence where the surname comes from.
“A few generations back the French side of the family moved to the UK and have been here ever since,” she explained.
“I am Scottish qualified based on residency. Scotland has become my home now and, after playing for Edinburgh, I am definitely eager to take the step up.
“I would love to wear the thistle and represent Scotland and if the opportunity comes along I will definitely take it, but I also have aspirations for a career in human rights and balancing playing high level sport and working has been quite challenging and an issue for many of the women who were part of the recent Edinburgh squad.
“I left my job in January to concentrate on the Celtic Challenge so I would have the time to train and recover properly which I’m very glad I did, but that was only for the short-term and it is all about trying to get the balance right.
“I moved here in 2017 for university and have been here ever since.
“When I was growing up I spent a few years in Abu Dhabi in the UAE very early on and then, between the ages of six and 15, I lived in a small town in the south west of France called Périgueux.
“I started playing rugby at about four-years-old at Abu Dhabi Harlequins where my dad was a coach and my brother played. When the move to France came I started playing for the CAP Périgueux, where I spent most of my rugby journey, going through the age grades there until under-18s.
“I moved back to Abu Dhabi for a couple of years when I was about 15 and that introduced me properly to the sevens world as that’s the main game out there for under-18s.
“We even played in an age-grade Dubai Sevens final which has to be one of my favourite rugby moments to date and my dad was coaching us too.
“When I came to Edinburgh for university I initially joined Murrayfield Wanderers before going to Heriot’s where I’ve played most of my senior rugby.
“I spent a few months in Madrid as part of my year abroad and played for a Spanish premiership team there called Cisneros.
“Once I was Scottish qualified I was able to play for the Scottish Futures in 2021 which introduced me to the pathway programmes here in Scotland and gave me a taste of international games which I really enjoyed.
“I was part of the Glasgow Warriors squad in the Celtic Challenge last year before moving to Edinburgh this season while I also now play for Watsonians in the Premiership.”
So, what is it that captured Chicot’s imagination in terms of rugby and made her want it to be such a big part of her life?
“The culture and the community around it,” she explained. As someone who has lived in a few different places, rugby has always given me a close-knit group of people to rely on wherever I am in the world, especially somewhere like France where there is a big emphasis on the community aspect.
“The club’s ethos where I played was ‘École de rugby, école de la vie’ which translates to ‘school of rugby, school of life’ and they took that quite literally.
“The coaches weren’t just there to teach you about rugby, but were basically our second parents and the club became a safe space for a lot of people taking them in when their parents were at work late, having lunches and dinners together and even helped some kids with their homework.
“I still remember someone telling my mum before we moved to France to make sure my brother Louis and I kept playing and to join the local rugby team when we got there as that would give us a community abroad – and it really did.
“I’m still very good friends to this day with the girls I played with when I was about six or seven and there is a great community in rugby.”
Scotland squad to play France: Chloe Rollie; Rhona Lloyd, Emma Orr, Lisa Thomson, Francesca McGhie; Helen Nelson, Leia Brebner-Holden; Anne Young, Lana Skeldon, Elliann Clarke, Hollie Cunningham, Sarah Bonar, Rachel Malcolm (C), Rachel McLachlan, Jade Konkel. Subs: Elis Martin, Leah Bartlett, Molly Poolman, Adelle Ferrie, Becky Boyd, Alex Stewart, Caity Mattinson, Evie Wills.
The Guinness Women’s Six Nations runs from March 22 to April 26 and, after a trip to France in round two on March 29, Scotland are at Hive Stadium in round three versus Italy on April 13 – get tickets for the two Scotland remaining home games here.
Giselle Chicot is pictured playing for Edinburgh Rugby recently
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