Leicester Tigers’ Claire Gallagher: 'Canada changed my career plan'

Leicester Tigers’ Claire Gallagher credits playing international rugby with changing the course of her career.

Before winning her first cap against New Zealand in 2023 the 24-year-old was contemplating a return to university.

Going back to play in the U Sports Women’s Rugby Championship was a chance to play in Canada’s top domestic competition, but after making her debut for Kévin Rouet’s Canada against New Zealand, the playmaker was able to look further afield.

After setting her sights on Premiership Women’s Rugby and Leicester, Gallagher walked away from her high-performance role with Swimming Canada and has become a standout performer for the East Midlanders.

“Getting capped in 2023 changed my career plan and steered me away from going back to school,” Gallagher said.

“I would say my goal is to win the World Cup. Knowing that over the winter in Canada there is not much high-level rugby to be played.

“I wanted to keep playing and develop as much as possible because I am still a fairly new international player.

“Coming over to this league, it is the best league in the world to be playing in. I thought it would help best with my development.”

Since arriving at Mattioli Woods Welford Road last January, Gallagher has made a significant impact.

Scoring a try in a 22-19 win over Sale Sharks in her first Leicester start last January, the 24-year-old has established herself as a key figure in the Tigers backline alongside fellow livewires Meg Jones and Francesca McGhie.

By the end of the 2023/24 season, the Canadian helped the club to two wins as they finished eighth in the PWR table on their debut campaign.

With the aim of renewing their fortunes, Leicester elevated Tom Hudson to head coach in the hope of re-energising the side.

Registering a first league win over the season over Sale in round eight, in which Gallagher started at full-back, the side are currently eighth in the table and face in-form Harlequins on Saturday 28 December at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham.

Having learned plenty from their debut season, there is confidence that the team have pinpointed what sets them apart from other teams.

“We have had a few more players able to be a bit more full-time this season and putting a lot more focus on the details of our game and how we can create an identity for our team this season,” Gallagher said.

“Last year was our first season, so we just wanted to test the water out and see what worked best for us.

“I think this year we are applying that and living it every day.

“We are all really hard workers. We are not necessarily the biggest names, but we are prepared to work hard and never give up.”

Since her arrival in England in January, Gallagher has enjoyed a landmark year on the pitch.

The former University of Ottawa captain started all six of Canada’s Test matches in 2024, starting at fly-half for Rouet’s side, with World Rugby Women’s 15s Player of the Year nominee, Alex Tessier, at inside centre.

Providing consistent performances as the Canadians established themselves as Rugby World Cup contenders with a second-place WXV 1 finish and landmark win over the Black Ferns in their Pacific Four Series win, the 24-year-old has thrived playing her nation’s all-action style.

Combining kicking honed from playing soccer and the ability to read a defence from years of playing ice hockey, the international is now bringing back that form to club level.

Such is Gallagher’s skill that Hudson has asked his playmaker to play the game as she sees it three out of 10 times but has been advised to be pragmatic the other seven times.

“It can be difficult trying to balance wanting to go a little bit rogue sometimes, but also wanting to play in the team’s structure to help other people,” Gallagher said.

“You are not just one player on the field. I like to play fast with Canada. Really exciting rugby. Any chance I get to trickle that in here, I will take.

“Playing 10 with Canada a lot, I learned a lot about seeing the space.

“Our coach really gives us the opportunity to go for it and try things. Whether or not they are successful, to at least go for it.”

“Our mantra is that we want to win the World Cup. But we don’t just want to focus on that.

“We want to focus on playing good rugby that everyone seems to like watching.”

This “no holds barred” approach has been at the heart of the Canadian’s dramatic rise to second in the World Rugby rankings.

Advancing three places in 2024 alone, Gallagher and her teammates are now firm favourites to contend with England at next year’s Rugby World Cup.

Over the summer there was a significant influx of Canadian players to PWR, joining Julia Omokhuale (Leicester Tigers), Abby Duguid (Loughborough Lightning) and Emma Taylor (Trailfinders Women) in England.

Gabby Senft, Fancy Bermudez (both Saracens), Mikiela Nelson, Taylor Perry (both Exeter Chiefs) and Krissy Scurfield (Loughborough Lightning) have all decided to prepare for the World Cup in women’s rugby’s most prominent competition, while others will compete in France and on the HSBC SVNS Series.

Canada start their World Cup campaign against Fiji and York Community Stadium, before facing Wales and Scotland in their next pool matches.

Aiming to emulate the 2014 World Cup side that went all the way to the final before losing out to England, Gallagher hopes to reward the sacrifice that so many of her international teammates have made.

“I never thought it was an option for me to potentially put my hand up for selection at the Rugby World Cup,” Gallagher said.

“That is pretty cool and something I didn’t really dream of growing up.

“As a collective and as a team, I think all the years so many girls have lived in England and France, been away from their families and put off their careers, it would be a culmination of so much hard work and sacrifice.

“I hope that we can pull it off for those girls.”