Basketball’s loss is rugby’s gain as Alex Tessier leads Canada at Rugby World Cup

A basketball player growing up in Sainte-Clotilde-de-Horton, Que., 125 kilometres northeast of Montreal, Alex Tessier didn’t pick up a rugby ball until she moved to Montreal for school.

She was 17 and knew next to nothing about the sport when a friend took her to rugby practice.

“When I first actually tried it out, the training was so confusing, but at the same time intriguing. So I was very curious,” Tessier recalled.

“I was amazed at how there were so many aspects that I never thought a sport could offer,” she added. “On the field, there was just so much going on in my head, like everything was new.”

After leaving CEGEP — Quebec’s junior college system — for Concordia University, Tessier initially tried to play both basketball and rugby.

“That just didn’t last very long. I decided to focus my energy on rugby because I saw true potential to just be a better rugby player, be a better person.”

Mission accomplished

At 31, Tessier is now Canada’s captain and will lead out the second-ranked Canadian women when they open World Cup play Saturday against No. 14 Fiji in York, England. It will be cap No. 61 for Tessier.

If the results stay true to the rankings, Canada is on a collision course with top-ranked England, which enters the tournament on a 27-match winning streak that includes four victories over the Canadian women. The Red Roses have won 57 of their last 58 matches, with the lone blemish a 34-31 loss to New Zealand in the final of the last World Cup in November 2022.

In her third World Cup, Tessier is Canada’s Owen Farrell — the 33-year-old English fly half with 112 caps who captained his country from 2018 to 2023 before stepping back from international duty.

Like Farrell, Tessier is a fly half who has shifted to centre to serve as another decision-maker in the backline. Tenacious tacklers and skilled kickers, they both quarterback their teams.

“I guess he’s a decent player, although he’s English,” Tessier, tongue in cheek, said of Farrell, who just took part in his fourth British and Irish Lions’ tour.

Veteran flanker Karen Paquin says Canada is in good hands with Tessier.

“She’s someone that can do something really, really well and kind of get the idea of it within a millisecond. So she’s really, really good under pressure,” said Paquin, who is attending her fourth World Cup. “And I think she’s a player that’s going to play big in the big moments. I’m really excited to have her as our skipper, and I really trust her.”

Tessier took over as captain while Sophie de Goede was sidelined by knee surgery. Restored to health, the 26-year-old de Goede is now the team vice-captain, with Rouet opting to keep Tessier as skipper so de Goede can focus on her game.

Rouet says playing Tessier at centre outside fly half Claire Gallagher gives his captain a better view of what’s happening on the pitch.

“Her kicking game is amazing, as is her leadership of the team,” added the France-born coach. “She’s not a big speaker, but when she speaks, she says something interesting every time.”

Tessier says she doesn’t care whether she lines up at fly half or centre.

“It doesn’t matter much where I play as long as I can contribute.”

Tessier is one of several Canadians who play their club rugby in England for Exeter Chiefs.

Tessier played in France before the last World Cup in November 2022, a pandemic-delayed competition that saw Canada finish fourth. She returned to her club in Bordeaux after the tournament before joining Exeter ahead of the 2023-24 season in England.

“It’s probably been the best move for my rugby career,” said Tessier, who was named to the Premiership Women’s Rugby’s 2023-24 team of the season. “One of the best choices I’ve made in my life.”

“I’ve enjoyed it because it is professional,” she added. “There’s a good club vibe. You have so many resources around the club, whether it’s your staff being full-time, having access to a pitch, to proper-quality training, S and C (strength and conditioning). Everything. Everything is set up for you to be your best self, in your best shape as well.”

Plus, Exeter “suits me well, in that it’s not in a big city.”

Tessier, who graduated from Concordia’s John Molson School of Business in operations management, left her “grown-up job” as a buyer and production planner at Montreal cosmetics manufacturer Groupe Marcelle to pursue rugby full-time.

Tessier has already left her mark on the world stage, chosen as a finalist for World Rugby’s Player of the Year in November 2024.

“In some ways, you could argue that I didn’t expect it because I don’t play for that kind of recognition,” she said. “But I definitely felt a lot of pride.”

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 20, 2025

Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press