Loughborough Lightning have announced the signing of Canada 7s and 15s international Fancy Bermudez.
The Edmonton-born outside back’s starring role in her country’s run to the final of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games caught the eye of Saracens who secured her signature ahead of the 2024/25 Premiership Women’s Rugby season.
She was part of the squad that finished second in the table and was then picked for the 2025 Rugby World Cup – where she added another silver medal to her collection as the Maple Leafs progressed to the final, only to be pipped by England at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham.
Now the 23-year-old has made the next step of her rugby journey by joining Lightning ahead of the 2025/26 season, which starts with a trip to Harlequins in Round 1 on Friday 24 October.
“Loughborough last year was such an exciting team to watch,” said Bermudez.
“I’ve heard a lot about the team culture and the team values, which is something that I really admire and something I want to play for and represent.
“I was excited when Nathan reached out to me because it was so fun watching Loughborough play last year. It’s a cool style of play, and a team I’m excited to join.”
Bermudez has been tearing up the international 7s circuit for some time, as well as having a strong pedigree in the 15s game, having played for Saracens in the PWR and the Canadian international side, making her debut in 2023 against South Africa, where she scored a hat-trick.
“There’s no denying that if you want to be a successful 15s player and you want to push your career, playing in the PWR is the obvious choice,” said Bermudez.
“The standard and the level of play in England is unreal, and that showed during the World Cup with the unreal numbers of fans coming out and then also England winning the tournament; was a testament to the standard of the league.
“I’ve played with and against some of the best players in the world playing in this league, and you don’t get that anywhere else, so that’s why I wanted to stay in the PWR.”
An electric ball-carrier with devastating pace and an ability to break tackles, Bermudez will add to Lightning’s already impressive stock of capped international outside backs, that includes Bo Westombe-Evans, Bulou Mataitoga, Lucia Scott and the versatile talents of Helena Rowland.
Bermudez said: “I’m super excited to be playing in an international-calibre backline, and these are players that I’ve been playing against for a very long time, so it will be super special, and I’m excited to learn from what they have to offer.
“I’d say my personal ambitions are for sure to become a consistent player on the national team, and I want to go to all these competitions and have my impact.
“I think playing at Loughborough will help me a lot with that, because Loughborough’s style of play is similar to Canada’s in a way; it’s fast-paced, exciting, a go-for-it kind of style. I think it’s just a team I’ll be well-suited for, and a coaching style that will work well for me.
“I think my strengths are that I’m a physical player, and playing 7s has taught me a lot of skills that I bring across to 15s, like good decision-making, but also, I have trust in my 1v1 abilities.
“I definitely want to get to the play-offs with Loughborough, and I think it that’s definitely within reach.”
Bermudez is Lightning’s latest signing following a wave of international recruitment over the summer that includes Americans Rachel Ehrecke, Mae Sagapolu and Tahlia Brody, as well as Scotland international fullback Scott from defending PWR champions, Gloucester-Hartpury.
On signing Bermudez, Lightning Head Coach Nathan Smith said: “We’re immensely excited that Fancy will be joining Lightning next season.
“She’s a hugely powerful player with a huge ceiling and has not even scratched the surface of her potential yet.
“Personally, she is someone I have tracked since my involvement in women’s rugby and I’m very excited to have her on board and contributing to this Lightning side.”
