AlexTessier

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, Tessier 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. Tessier 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 in 2023 helping her national team to two wins over Wales and France.

Tessier earned her 50th cap in the Pacific Four Series in 2024 where Canada took a historic first win over the Black Ferns to win the tournament and move up into second place in the world rankings. She was selected to captain her national side for the 2025 Rugby World Cup and led Canada all the way to the final against the Red Roses.

Previously, Tessier 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, Tessier is bilingual and had been working and playing in France on and off before she joined Chiefs. She played for Les Lionnes Stade Bordelais in the 2022/23 season.

Seemingly happy at centre, full-back and fly-half, Tessier brings plenty of experience and a 'jouer' attitude to rugby, resulting in her being named in the PWR Team of the Year for 2023/24.

Player number #93