Emily Tuttosi grew up on the Canadian prairies but even that vast expanse is not as wide as the funding gap between her largely amateur teammates and England’s full-time professionals.
When the two sides collide in a Rugby World Cup semi-final this Saturday, the Red Roses will be instantly reminded what true sacrifice and extraordinary dedication look like.
The 27-year-old Tuttosi is one of the fortunate few who play their club rugby in England – in her case for Exeter Chiefs – but many of her fellow squad members have been forced to make “really hard choices” such as declining job offers, refusing promotions or postponing their final degree exams simply to make it to this tournament.
Some went further still and gave up their homes.
“People gave up having a permanent residence and just moved wherever the team has gone for the last six months,” says Tuttosi.
“The support we’ve had has been huge but there’ve been girls who have had to put off their careers and learn to live like broke students again. It’s part of what makes our group special. Everything we do has been with a view to playing in this weekend’s game.”
With Covid having severely hampered Canada’s recent playing opportunities, the Exeter hooker and her colleagues have been shuttling between England, New Zealand, Vancouver Island, Nova Scotia, Fiji and now New Zealand again to train, play and make themselves properly competitive once more.
“We knew we had to catch up somehow,” says Tuttosi. “Personally I’ve been living out of a suitcase I packed in Exeter last May. Some call it sacrifices, others call it tough choices.”
Beating England would make everything worthwhile and Tuttosi has already been reaping some dividends with six tries, second in the tournament only to New Zealand’s Portia Woodman.
The next challenge is to stand firm against England’s forwards, some of whom Tuttosi has previously played alongside.
“It’s no secret England have always been pretty strong. They’re such a technically sound team. But I think we’re ready for battle. I’ve played with a decent handful of them, especially during my time in Loughborough, but it’s all business on Saturday.”
As a proud daughter of Manitoba – “I’m a classic Canadian. I’ve literally tapped trees to boil sap to make maple syrup” – she also wants to show that England do not possess a monopoly on hard-nosed intent.
“We’ve taken a lot of pride in bringing a physical Canadian brand of rugby. We know the set piece is a good foundation for us and I think we have to take things like that personally. Taking individual accountability will help us be collectively better on the day.
“This week I think the pressure is more on them. Everywhere we’ve been it’s always ‘England are number one’. We’re just going to focus on us and get ready to go. We’re proud of being the only ‘amateur’ team in the final four but it’s not something we can settle for.
“As a team we strive to be our best no matter what. As a player what I’d love to see this weekend is two super competitive semi-finals which showcase what women’s rugby is. I think this tournament has done a great job of showing that women’s rugby is growing and it’s not to be taken lightly.”
And by the time the next World Cup kicks off, in England in 2025, she also hopes the financial gulf between a few richer squads and the rest will have been at least partly addressed.
“Where the funding comes from I’m not too sure but it’s been proven that if you make programmes professional there will be clear results. It’s just a question of when more nations can take that step.”
