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Rachel Johnson Named Women’s Rugby Assistant Coach
6/26/2026 9:30:00 AM | Women's Rugby
PROVIDENCE, R.I. - Kathleen Flores Women's Rugby Head Coach Rosalind Chou has announced the hiring of Rachel Johnson as the program's new assistant coach.
"We are so excited to welcome Rachel Johnson to College Hill," Chou said. "She brings an incredible amount of experience to our program. Rachel had a standout professional career in the Premiership Women's Rugby (PWR), the top women's club competition in the world, where she played alongside the best in the game. She's on the cutting edge tactically, having represented her country as vice-captain at the 2025 Rugby World Cup. To have that level of expertise on our staff is an incredible asset for our student-athletes.
Rachel is clinical and hardworking, with real set piece expertise in the lineout. The ferocious contact skills she possessed as a player are also areas in which she thrives coaching. She's also caring, empathetic, and a natural bridge builder, the kind of leader who brings genuine emotional intelligence to coaching. After retiring from playing, she carried that same drive into coaching with the Women's Elite Rugby (WER) team, the Denver Onyx, and that experience shows.
With Rachel's addition, our coaching staff is now complete, and what excites me most is that this is a group of selfless people who will put the team first and carry themselves professionally every day. They're here to work for the team while mentoring each student-athlete individually, and that combination is exactly what we want for this program."
An accomplished international rugby player, Johnson was a member of the USA Women's National XV Rugby Team from 2018-2025. She spent time as the team's defensive lead and vice captain.
"I'm absolutely beaming with joy to join the Brown Women's Rugby program this season," Johnson said.
"The program has an impressive legacy, a supportive culture, and the incoming class is full of fresh talent. I'm honored for this opportunity to serve & push the passionate and curious Brown student-athletes toward on and off field success. I look forward to adding my rugby perspective to the coaching team while learning from the experience of Head Coach Rosalind Chou and Coach Cody Melphy. Lots of hard work, growth and celebrations ahead in Providence this season!"
From 2021-2025, Johnson played for the Exeter Chiefs of Premiership Women's Rugby while also serving as assistant coach at Exeter University. She also captained the Denver Onyx of Women's Elite Rugby in 2025 before transitioning to assistant coach of the team in 2026.
Johnson is now dedicating her full professional focus to coaching the sport.
She holds bachelor's degrees from both Portland State University and Oregon Health & Science University.
BROWN UNIVERSITY SPORTS FOUNDATION
The Brown University Sports Foundation (BUSF) is the backbone of our athletics program, playing a crucial role in enhancing the student-athlete experience. This is possible through philanthropic support from our alumni, parents, fans, and friends. Your gift through the Sports Foundation can immediately impact today's Brown Bears, helping them excel in the classroom, in competition, and, most importantly, in the community. Please click here to learn more about how you can support the Bears.
FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL
For the latest on Brown Athletics, please follow @BrownU_Bears on X and @BrownU_Bears on Instagram. Like BrownUBears on Facebook and subscribe to the BrownAthletics YouTube channel.
"We are so excited to welcome Rachel Johnson to College Hill," Chou said. "She brings an incredible amount of experience to our program. Rachel had a standout professional career in the Premiership Women's Rugby (PWR), the top women's club competition in the world, where she played alongside the best in the game. She's on the cutting edge tactically, having represented her country as vice-captain at the 2025 Rugby World Cup. To have that level of expertise on our staff is an incredible asset for our student-athletes.
Rachel is clinical and hardworking, with real set piece expertise in the lineout. The ferocious contact skills she possessed as a player are also areas in which she thrives coaching. She's also caring, empathetic, and a natural bridge builder, the kind of leader who brings genuine emotional intelligence to coaching. After retiring from playing, she carried that same drive into coaching with the Women's Elite Rugby (WER) team, the Denver Onyx, and that experience shows.
With Rachel's addition, our coaching staff is now complete, and what excites me most is that this is a group of selfless people who will put the team first and carry themselves professionally every day. They're here to work for the team while mentoring each student-athlete individually, and that combination is exactly what we want for this program."
An accomplished international rugby player, Johnson was a member of the USA Women's National XV Rugby Team from 2018-2025. She spent time as the team's defensive lead and vice captain.
"I'm absolutely beaming with joy to join the Brown Women's Rugby program this season," Johnson said.
"The program has an impressive legacy, a supportive culture, and the incoming class is full of fresh talent. I'm honored for this opportunity to serve & push the passionate and curious Brown student-athletes toward on and off field success. I look forward to adding my rugby perspective to the coaching team while learning from the experience of Head Coach Rosalind Chou and Coach Cody Melphy. Lots of hard work, growth and celebrations ahead in Providence this season!"
From 2021-2025, Johnson played for the Exeter Chiefs of Premiership Women's Rugby while also serving as assistant coach at Exeter University. She also captained the Denver Onyx of Women's Elite Rugby in 2025 before transitioning to assistant coach of the team in 2026.
Johnson is now dedicating her full professional focus to coaching the sport.
She holds bachelor's degrees from both Portland State University and Oregon Health & Science University.
BROWN UNIVERSITY SPORTS FOUNDATION
The Brown University Sports Foundation (BUSF) is the backbone of our athletics program, playing a crucial role in enhancing the student-athlete experience. This is possible through philanthropic support from our alumni, parents, fans, and friends. Your gift through the Sports Foundation can immediately impact today's Brown Bears, helping them excel in the classroom, in competition, and, most importantly, in the community. Please click here to learn more about how you can support the Bears.
FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL
For the latest on Brown Athletics, please follow @BrownU_Bears on X and @BrownU_Bears on Instagram. Like BrownUBears on Facebook and subscribe to the BrownAthletics YouTube channel.
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