The Canadian influence that could swing the Semi-Final

Whatever the outcome of their Premiership Women’s Rugby Semi-Final match on Sunday, Saracens and Exeter Chiefs will shine a light on the success of Canadian rugby.

Sarries feature seven Canadians in their squad, while the Chiefs are home to four.

Flying the Canadian flag most prominently this season has been Saracens scrum-half Olivia Apps, who was recently crowned PWR Player of the Season, presented by Canterbury.

Apps said: “Whatever happens at the weekend, it’ll be really fun to get a photo after and celebrate the successful season of the Canadians.

“It makes me very happy and proud to see so many Canadians in the top four teams, and more coming next year.

“It's like a double-edged sword because you know your opponent really well, so you kind of know what to expect, but then you also know all their strengths.

“I know that Sabrina Poulin is rapid and a very skilled player, Alex Tessier is very unpredictable, and DaLeaka Menin and Emily Tuttosi in the forward pack are quite threatening.”

Apps’ Canada teammate Menin usually plays in the tighthead prop position for the Chiefs but has played their last few matches at No.8 due to a post-Six Nations injury crisis.

Despite the very different demands of the two positions, it is a switch that Menin has pulled off impressively, returning to the role she used to play in high school while Maddie Feaunati was injured.

Menin echoed Apps’ sentiments about the depth of international quality in the PWR, with more to come next season as France's Gabrielle Vernier confirmed she would be heading to England this week.

Menin said: “I think the Canadians have really made a mark on the league as a whole. We’ve now gotten some more Kiwis and Aussies over, and the Americans have been over for a good amount of time too. It’s really fun to see all these nations come over."

The teams have had the chance to scout each other twice already during the regular season.

Saracens won both, but with two very different scorelines.

Their most recent match-up saw Sarries score seven tries to Exeter’s one in a 45-7 rout at the StoneX Stadium.

But while their previous match had also ended in a Chiefs’ loss, it was a closely fought battle and a more respectable 24-14 scoreline at Sandy Park in December.

Steve Salvin’s Exeter side will hope the ghosts of the StoneX Stadium don’t haunt them when they return to North London this weekend.

Four wins on the bounce should give them confidence that this time around will be different, and Menin pointed to the sunny forecast as another good omen.

She said: “Good performances mean that you go into the training week with that positive energy. Coming off four good wins helps that momentum forward.

“[We’re seeing an] improvement in the weather, improvement in those consistencies with some wins. Bringing that all together, I think we're really rounding out the end of the season to hopefully be peaking at the right point.

“Beating Sarries would be such an accomplishment for us, but they've had quite a solid performance through the entire season and through the last multiple seasons. They are definitely a contending team.”

Saracens have certainly proved their powerhouse status, and not just this season.

The 2025/2026 PWR Cup champions have won the league title three times since the Premier 15s era began and were runners-up to Gloucester Hartpury last year.

But director of rugby Alex Austerberry knows that past success by no means guarantees future results.

Austerberry said: “Confidence is massive, isn't it? But a winning run counts for very little when you come to the next game. It doesn't win you anything.

“We all start the season with one goal, which is to be the best and make sure we put ourselves in the best possible position to secure a title.

“But first and foremost, we have a semi-final to win and a very tough test against Exeter.

“Every Saturday or Sunday, whenever we've got a game, it’s exciting. But knockout rugby is something quite unique and special.

“It's going to be a great day of rugby for the PWR and for the game.”