Matt Philip

Philip was born and raised on Sydney's Northern Beaches in suburb of Mona Vale, New South Wales, Australia.^[4] He attended St Augustine's College, Sydney.^[5] Philip represented Australia at schoolboy level in 2012, and under-20 level in 2014.^[6]

Philip initially made his way in the game turning out for Sydney University in the Shute Shield where his form earned him a call-up to the Sydney Stars squad ahead of the inaugural National Rugby Championship in 2014. He made 15 appearances for the Stars across two seasons and scored two tries in that time.^[7][8]

Philip's rise to the Super Rugby level was a swift one as an injury crisis in the Force's second row saw him cross Australia from Sydney to Perth to train with them during the 2016 mid-year rugby union internationals break.^[9] He was subsequently named in the Force's squad for their two-match tour of South Africa and debuted as an early blood replacement for Rory Walton in the game against the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein. He made three substitute appearances in total during the 2016 Super Rugby season.^[3] Later in 2016, he joined Southland in the Mitre 10 Cup.^[10][11]

In 2017, Philip was a first-choice starter at lock for the Force.^[12] After his strong performances for Perth Spirit in the NRC,^[13] he was invited into the Barbarians team to play Australia in Sydney,^[14] and then selected the Australian squad for the 2017 Wallabies tour.^[13][15] He made his test debut for Australia in the team's win against Japan on 4 November 2017, replacing lock Adam Coleman in the second half.^[16][17]

In 2025 Philip signed a two-year deal with the Waratahs beginning in July 2025 (post-2025 Waratahs season), having returned from Japan Rugby League One (JRLO) club Yokohama Canon Eagles at the end of their 2024–25 season.^[5][18] Philip made his debut for the club against the British & Irish Lions during the 2025 British & Irish Lions tour of Australia in July 2025. Philip came on as a substitute for Miles Amatosero in the 51st minute. The Waratahs lost 10–21.^[19][20] On the same tour Philip made an appearance for the ANZAC XV against the Lions, coming on as a substitute for Angus Blyth in the 55th minute. The ANZAC XV lost 0–48.^[21]

In January 2026 Philip was named Waratahs captain ahead of their 2026 Super Rugby Pacific season, taking over from scrum-half Jake Gordon.^[4][22] Philip commented after the announcement, saying "It's a huge honour and privilege to be named captain of the Waratahs and it's something I don't take lightly. We're extremely connected as a squad. It's our second year under Dan (McKellar) and the boys know what to expect. We're one year on of how we want to play, so both on and off the field I think we're going to see those connections come to fruition."^[4] Philip also spoke to The Sydney Morning Herald, stating: "I've gone kind of full circle. I had to go to a lot of places over a decade to come back and be able to play here. [Becoming captain] is probably the biggest moment in my career. I grew up supporting the Tahs, I am a New South Welshman."^[22] He added of his previous captain: "Me and Jake Gordon are really good friends, we played together through our juniors and been mates for a long time, and he's obviously done a great job over the last five years. Obviously, there's a lot of pressure and expectation that comes along with being a captain."^[22]

As of 28 January 2026.^[23]