PLAYER SPOTLIGHT CASS TUFFNAIL

Growing up in Canada, playing rugby was never something a young Cassandra ‘Cass’ Tuffnail had ever really considered, but from the moment she attended her first session, she never looked back.

Now she’s excelling at Brunel University, captaining the women’s team and attracting attention from the

However, if we rewind to her childhood, it was in fact ice hockey that was the main love of Cass growing up. “I played ice hockey when I was younger, pretty much everyone did in Canada” she said. “I really enjoyed it and it was only when I got to university that I had to make a decision between the two.

“My brother’s friend played rugby and convinced me to give it a try. I loved the first training session and haven’t looked back since.”

After so long playing another sport, it would be easy to think taking up rugby might have been tough, but there were two things that stood out to Cass as she got more and more involved in

“From the second I showed up I fell in love with rugby. The whole environment and atmosphere of the team drew me in and I just felt like I

“And then the other thing I loved was the physicality. A lot of people don’t realise that unlike men’s ice hockey, women’s ice hockey is non-contact. So actually when I started to play rugby, I felt like I was finally able to be physical and use my physicality, without being penalised.”

After she found rugby, the next challenge for Cass was being able to play it

“In Canada, women’s rugby isn’t quite as common as it is over here (in England). It is getting bigger and I think their fourth place finish at the World Cup will help things, but there is nothing like the Premier 15s back home.

“One of the highest levels you can play is university rugby. So for me when I was over there between the ages of 18 and 21, I had this mindset that if I didn’t get noticed when I was there, then that would be it. I think that was the same for

“I think I gave a good account of myself playing in Canada. We came second in the university championships which was cool and a great achievement for the team and me.”

The big question for Cass after she finished studying at home was what to do next. That was until she came across Brunel and Trailfinders Rugby Academy.

“I knew I wanted to continue playing rugby, I just wasn’t sure where or at what level.

But as soon as I came across the programme at Brunel, it was clear to me that this was the place that would allow me to kick on.

“The facilities at Brunel are just amazing, the coaching is phenomenal and to have the opportunity to have someone like Giselle (Mather) watch your games and give you feedback is just priceless.

“Then we found out about the Premier 15s team and now having that clear path for us as athletes from Trailfinders Rugby Academy through to the elite women’s team is so exciting and an amazing opportunity for myself and the rest of the girls.”

“Within a regular routine we train and gym three days a week, normally on a Monday, Tuesday and Friday. On a Wednesday that’s when we have our matches for Brunel.”

“Then we all have loan clubs as well, most of them are competing in the Championship or Championship Two. So on a Thursday we’ll go and train with our loan club and on a Sunday we’ll play for them.

“It’s pretty full on, but I don’t think any of us would change it. You have to be quite organised to balance your studies as well, but it’s definitely doable and the uni do support you with a lot of it.

“You have to put in the work if you want to be the best and I think everyone here can already see huge strides in their ability from when they started.”

“She helped me with my rugby CV and from there I managed to get a meeting with the Canadian head coach.

“Making my Canada debut against South Africa was simply amazing. Coming off the bench and helping my country to a big win was such a proud moment” Another area of her game that will certainly be an attraction to Team Canada will be her leadership and captaincy of the team at Brunel.

And it isn’t just in her own opinion that she improved, Giselle has earmarked her as someone with huge potential, and Cass has even managed to grab the attention of Team Canada.

“Getting my Canada call-up still doesn’t really feel real! It was something I didn’t see coming, but after having a talk with Giselle about next season and where I saw my future, it became clear that she might be able to help me in terms of getting involved with the national squad.

“It was in preseason that I was first asked to captain the girls and I jumped at the opportunity. I like to think that I’m a captain who leads by example rather than being a great wordsmith.

“It’s an honour to captain any team, but in particular to lead this team every week is a huge privilege. I’m really proud of how far we’ve come since preseason and how we’ve continued to work hard on the pitch and in the gym so we can become the best team we can.”

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