Alex Tessier

Alex ‘Tess’ Tessier began playing rugby at 17 when a friend asked her to come to a session in Montreal during a break in her basketball training schedule. Despite coming late to the sport, Tess flourished, combining high level basketball and rugby for several years, before settling into the 15-aside game for the long-term.

She was soon snapped up for Canada U20s and was awarded full honours in 2015 against New Zealand in Calgary. Alex has represented her country in two Women’s Rugby World Cups in 2017 and the delayed 2021 tournament. She also joined fellow Chiefs Canadians Emily Tuttosi and DaLeaka Menin at the inaugural WXV1 competition helping her national team to two wins over Wales and France, taking her to 48 caps in the process.

Alex was also part of the Rugby Canada Maple Leaf Academy, which is a high-performance programme focussed on developing national sevens players, and she has two sevens caps to her name.

Born in the Canadian province of Quebec, Alex is bilingual and has been working and playing in France on and off for the last few years. She played for Lionnes Stade Bordelais last season.

Seemingly happy at centre, full-back and fly-half, Alex will bring plenty of experience to the Chiefs squad this season.