GOOD NEWS:”Canada’s Women’s Rugby Team Gets Powerful Boost from Cline and Tuttosi…Read more
“Cline and Tuttosi Provide Powerful One-Two Punch for Canada Rugby Women”
With the Canadian women already qualified for the 2025 Rugby World Cup due to their fourth-place finish in the previous tournament, coach Kevin Rouet is enhancing the squad’s depth, especially at hooker.
Emily Tuttosi, who was named to World Rugby’s Women’s 15s dream team of the year in 2022 along with Canada captain Sophie de Goede, has been concluding Canada matches at the Pacific Four Series, while Edmonton’s Sara Cline starts.
Rouet has chosen this lineup with future prospects in mind, noting that his current bench includes players who were starters at the prestigious WXV 1 tournament late last year.
“We need more people involved with this team if we want to believe we can win the World Cup,” Rouet said ahead of third-ranked Canada’s game against No. 2 New Zealand in Christchurch on Sunday. “So, there’s a short-term focus but also a long-term goal to build the team’s depth. Giving Cline consecutive starts is part of that plan.”
“Tuttosi remains a very valuable hooker for us, and having her on the bench means we have a lot of experience available,” added the French-born coach.
Rouet mentioned that while Cline is “very exciting” in both offense and defense, she is still developing.
“She’s still fresh and new. You can see she doesn’t yet perform on the pitch exactly as she does in training, and we need to build around that.”
Cline has made significant progress in her rugby career, having moved to Australia earlier this year to join the Perth-based Western Force in the six-team Super W competition. This relatively new league started as an amateur circuit in 2018.
“You get a lot of girls from all different levels,” Cline said. “I played with girls this season who were only in their third season of rugby, which is great for Australia to see how quickly they can grow. It was competitive, but I wouldn’t rate it as high as the English or French league.”
Cline is uncertain about her future with the club, as it will likely depend on Canada’s schedule.
Turning 27 on Tuesday, Cline made her international debut off the bench in a 45-7 win over Australia at last July’s Pacific Four Series in Ottawa.
Her first start came on April 28 in Canada’s 50-7 win over the U.S. in Carson, California, during the opener of this year’s Pacific Four Series. Cline then scored her first two tries for Canada in a 33-14 win over Australia on May 11 in Sydney, a game where she faced several Force teammates.
Like Tuttosi, Cline has been crucial in Canada’s powerful maul, which has been difficult to stop. All five tries against the Wallaroos were scored by the Canadian pack, which dominated lineouts in the opposition end.
“I’m quite lucky to be at the back of it, for sure,” Cline said about the Canadian maul.
Cline’s move to Australia was facilitated by her Canadian teammate Gabbie Senft, who knew former Wallabies prop Greg Holmes from her time with England’s Exeter Chiefs. Holmes, now part of the Western Force’s academy coaching staff, was informed by Senft about Cline’s interest in playing in Australia, leading to her move.
The process was swift. The club contacted Cline in mid-December, and she left for Perth three days after receiving her visa in early January.
“Perth is a very beautiful city,” she said of the coastal city in southwest Australia.
She played six games for the Force, living with teammates from Japan, Brazil, and Australia, before returning to Canada to join the national team.
Cline started playing rugby in high school and, after playing under-20 rugby provincially, attended the University of Lethbridge, where she played for five years. Her club team was Edmonton’s Leprechaun Tiger RFC.
Having played for Canada at the under-20 level before university, Cline was noticed by Rouet in a provincial game last year, leading to her inclusion in the national team. A former flanker, Rouet converted her to hooker.
“There’s a lot to learn at hooker … It’s definitely challenging me in some really good ways,” said Cline.
She won her first senior cap in Ottawa shortly afterward and had five caps going into the New Zealand game.
“This tour has definitely opened my eyes quite quickly to how everything’s moving,” she said.
Cline noted that Tuttosi, a 28-year-old from Souris, Man., who plays for Exeter, has been a great help to her.
“I think I’m more looking over her shoulder at her notes than she is at mine,” Cline said with a laugh. “But she has a lot of wisdom, and there’s a lot for me to learn from her, so I’m definitely justq soaking in everything.”
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