Career
Highly rated as an up-and-coming player with Edinburgh Rugby, Philips was called up by Scotland coach Matt Williams ahead of the 2004 Six Nations Championship into the squad and played in all 5 matches of the tournament. He suffered a knee injury on Scotland"s summer tour of Australasia but despite over coming this it was persistent chronic back and groin pain that forced him to retired in 2005 at the age of only 22. He came back later on to pick up playing for Edinburgh Academicals after having part of his spine fused in 2005.
He then latterly returned to professional sport switching codes to league in 2010 when he signed to play for Whitehaven RLFC. He also then played for Edinburgh Eagles and South Wales Scorpions in the Championship One.
In May 2012, he was announced as coach of Haddigton Reconstruction Finance Corporation at the age of just 28. Just over a year later he had left this position.
He has a brother Colin who was a Great Britain athlete.
