Tuttosi targets Twickenham farewell as six-year Exeter stint nears its end

Emily Tuttosi is chasing a Premiership Women’s Rugby title as a parting gift before she leaves Exeter Chiefs at the end of the current season, with the Canada international set to return home and begin a new chapter as assistant coach at the University of Ottawa.

The 30-year-old hooker, who joined the Chiefs from Loughborough Lightning in 2020, scored her 32nd try in her 89th appearance for the club as Exeter closed out the PWR regular season with a 50-24 victory over Sale Sharks at Sandy Park. Now she has two more matches in her sights: Sunday’s semi-final against Saracens at StoneX Stadium, and a potential final at Twickenham Stoop the following week.

Tuttosi is under no illusions about the size of the task against a Saracens side that finished the regular season 15 points clear of Exeter and won both meetings between the clubs. She also expects no favours from the cluster of Canadian team-mates lining up on the other side.

“We know we’ve got a challenge in front of us, but the team have shown they are up for a challenge,” Tuttosi told RugbyPass. “It depends what happens on the day and we’re ready to make history.”

She identified Saracens’ cohesion and tempo as the key threats, pointing specifically to fly-half Zoe Harrison’s territorial kicking game and a Canadian contingent that includes Sophie de Goede, Alysha Corrigan, Paige Ferris, Laetitia Royer, Gabby Senft, Julia Omokhuale, and Olivia Apps. “I’d rather play with them than against,” she admitted, “but we’re ready for the challenge.”

Tuttosi’s six years in Devon have spanned two Rugby World Cup campaigns with Canada — New Zealand 2022 and England 2025 — and she leaves having embedded herself in the local community, coaching Newton Abbot Women and Chiefs Under-23 pathway sides alongside her playing commitments.

“I will miss the pace of life, living near the beach and Dartmoor, but it’s the people and the Exeter rugby community in particular who will stand out,” she said.

Her next role at the University of Ottawa marks a natural progression for a player who first earned Under-20 international recognition while studying kinesiology at the University of Calgary, and who has long harboured ambitions in coaching.