However, McLachlan credits her years of martial-arts training for developing her breakdown skills – one of the many skills she has in her locker as an openside flanker – alongside her aggression.
“I know I’m maybe not always the nicest on the pitch, but that’s part of the game,” she admits. “I hope, when people come off the pitch, they know I’m a nice person!
“When I first started, I was probably a bit more carried away. Now I’ve reigned that in and it’s more focused, more controlled aggression.”
After a few months playing for her university side and the West of Scotland club, calls were made and she was fast-tracked on to a player development programme, initially joining the Scotland Sevens set-up.
Despite being involved in subsequent Scotland 15-a-side camps, she was still absolutely stunned to receive the news she would be involved in a match-day squad.
“I had been training with the squad in camps, but I didn’t assume anything would come of it,” McLachlan says. “It was a standard I’d never seen before, a real jump up. I felt quite out my depth.
“But I remember I was watching a Caley game, I was looking at my phone and I got an email through that said ‘Scotland v Italy selection’.
“Caley had just won, but I didn’t want to take the spotlight off them. We were celebrating and packing the stuff and I turned to one of my friends and said ‘I’ve just been picked for Scotland’. It got out a bit, the coaches got told and it was mental.”
Since that initial selection against Italy, the back-row has been ticking off the milestones. First match-day squad, first start, first Six Nations appearance. It would have been overwhelming had she had time to pause for breath.