'It is a huge statement of intent': Loughborough recruit five internationals for 2026/27

Loughborough Lightning have announced the signing of five Canada internationals in a move that the team’s head coach, Nathan Smith, has described as a “statement of intent”.

Smith, who spent a period of secondment with Canada at this year’s Pacific Four Series, has recruited Pamphinette Buisa, Chloe Daniels, Brooke Rempel, Kiki Idowu and Rachel Smith for the 2026/27 season.

Both Buisa and Chloe Daniels have previous Premiership Women’s Rugby experience. The duo have joined the East Midlands club from Bristol Bears, where they have spent the 2025/26 season.

Both will represent Canada Women’s Sevens at this weekend’s HSBC SVNS World Championship event in Bordeaux.

Daniels won an Olympic silver medal with Canada at the 2024 Games in Paris and the full-back/fly-half made her senior XVs debut for Kévin Rouet’s team at the Pacific Four Series.

Smith is a veteran of the Canada team that went to the Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 final. The 25-year-old has won seven caps for her country and was praised by Smith for “how diligent she was around her setpiece.”

Both Brooke Rempel and Kiki Idowu were debutants for Canada in this year’s edition of the Pacific Four Series. Tighthead prop, Rempel, was the youngest member of Rouet’s squad for the tournament in the USA aged 20.

21-year-old hooker Idowu scored a try on her Test debut against Australia in April, shortly after she had scored a hat-trick against England U21 Women. The explosive front-row features in the next two games of the tournament.

“It is a huge statement of intent for Lightning moving forward to sign these players,” Nathan Smith, Lightning head coach, said.

“We have stuck to our recruitment philosophy of having high-potential, high-character players, and we have certainly got five of them coming over from Canada.

“They are physically impressive, and the diligence they have to want to improve, want to become better players, fits into the Lightning programme.

“During my time with Lightning, we’ve had some really positive experiences with Canadian players in the likes of Abby Duguid, Courtney Holtkamp [nee O’Donnell] and Krissy Scurfield. I am confident these signings will follow in their footsteps.

“I am confident these players will help improve us as a squad and help us in making the next step to be increasingly competitive in Premiership Women’s Rugby – a league which is getting better and better by the year.”

Lightning are placed seventh in the PWR table ahead of their season finale against Leicester Tigers at Mattioli Woods Welford Road.