Olivia Apps on the power of kindness, inspiring the next generation and life at Sarries

What would you say to the person who changed your life?

It’s a question Olivia Apps pauses to think about as a smile begins to beam out across her face.

In March 2023, the 27-year-old Canada international posted on Instagram a picture of herself as a child shaving the head of a man whilst on holiday.

At the time of the snap, originally taken in 2007, Apps was still coming to terms with her alopecia universalis diagnosis, posting in the photo’s caption, “I struggled with feeling like I belonged”.

The name of the man, who was the summer camp councillor who ran all the activities, remains a mystery to Apps, but by allowing her to buzz his head, the future Canadian rugby star realised her condition was nothing to be afraid of.

The post continued: “You showed me that hair didn’t hold so much power and that who I was and how I looked was good enough.

“So this is thank you. Thank you for empowering me. Thank you for showing me that other people can look like me, that not having hair is okay - hair is just hair. Thank you for reminding me that I do belong, regardless of how I look.”

It was a defining moment in Apps’ life, one that stands out alongside reaching Olympic and World Cup finals, that’s how powerful the simple act was to her.

After a few moments of pondering, Apps explained she’d initially say something similar to her post, but that she had one question she’d love to know the answer to.

“We would probably have a funny little bantering interaction [to start with],” she said.

“But I’d like to ask him did he know what he was doing in the moment? We were kind of friends, he was my camp councillor, we were good. I was like an annoying little six-year-old [sic] and I’d probably say, ‘did you know in that moment how that would make me feel?

“Was it a calculated thing that was designed to build my confidence or was it just a spur of the moment thing?’

“Either way, I’d tell him, ‘I hope you know what that meant to me’. I would definitely like to thank him to his face and tell him how much that impacted me.”

Apps has made a habit of not letting anything get in the way of her goals including her alopecia or the torn ACL she suffered in May 2019.

Resilience has acted as the cornerstone of her career, one that has seen her captain her country to a silver medal at Paris 2024 in rugby sevens before being part of the Canadian XVs team that reached the final of the 2025 Rugby World Cup.

Despite the result against England in the showpiece not going the way of Kévin Rouet’s side, losing 33-13 at the Allianz Stadium, it was a tournament that turbo-charged women’s rugby to heights never before experienced, with one of its aims being to inspire the next generation coming through.

And knowing first-hand the impact a positive role model can have, the chance to give back on the grandest stage of all was an opportunity Apps grasped with both hands.

“Wanting to inspire others is definitely part of my greater why,” she continued. “It’s why I play the game.

“When you’re in a rugby competition, you do focus on the rugby, but there are times afterwards when you interact with the fans. I’ve had it where parents have said to me, ‘my daughter lost her hair, but she saw you and now she knows that she can be beautiful and be whoever she wants to be because of you’.

“Hearing things like that, it makes me think ‘wow’ every time. Whether I wanted it to be or not, my alopecia was always going to be part of my story - my identity is my hair loss and my confidence to be myself.

“But having this platform and being able to showcase how to be beautiful in your own skin is something I take very seriously. If sharing my story leads to inspiring confidence in somebody else, I'll take that opportunity every single time."

Apps is currently enjoying her first taste of playing for a professional XVs team having signed for PWR side Saracens as injury cover in October.

Four tries in her first five appearances – all of which have been wins – demonstrates Apps has settled in well to life in north London.

The transition has been made easier by living with six other Canadian internationals, including World Rugby Women’s 15s Player of the Year Sophie de Goede and Alysha Corrigan, in an eight-bedroomed house nicknamed ‘The Manor’.

“It makes a big difference being able to live with people you're comfortable with,” said Apps on what has helped her hit the ground running.

With Saracens, second in the table, traveling to third-placed Exeter Chiefs this weekend, the identity of the main challengers to Gloucester Hartpury’s crown could become clearer, and Apps believes the StoneX-outfit’s breadth of talent from both sides of the Atlantic sets them apart.

She added: “It’s our superpower in a way. The Canadians that are here work so well with the English, the other international players and everyone else.

“How all these cultures combine makes for a threatening rugby mindset. When you get to Test match rugby, you really need that, and we’re able to bring that to the PWR.”