PLAYER PROFILE – Fancy Bermudez, the outside back player, has made quite an impression in a short period of time for the 15’s national team. She was born on May 27, 2002, in Edmonton, Alberta. She grew up in Mill Woods (a residential area in the city of Edmonton), before moving to Victoria at the age of 16 years old.
Fancy Bermudez: Rugby Canada’s Key Speedster
Childhood
Bermudez grew up idolizing Jennifer “Jen” Kish, who was a well-known Rugby Canada player. This is what she said about what Kish meant to her (Source: Terry Jones of the Edmonton Press).
“When I first met Jen, that was a big moment for me. She was an inspiration for me because she grew up in the same area of Edmonton as I did,” said Bermudez.
In the same article, Bermudez said that her brother, Sony Bermudez, was the one who pushed her:
Coming from an athletic family, Bermudez wanted to originally play football but ended up growing up to love the rugby union game. However, for Bermudez, to propel her rugby union career forward, she had to move to Victoria like many Rugby Canada players before her (Source: Anastasia Bucsis of CBC Sports):
“No, it was very scary. But, I knew that, to get one step further to my goal, I would have to come here and centralize eventually and getting that opportunity so young, I was so grateful for it,” Bermudez said. “With the help of RBC, helping me connect with people in the rugby community that were already out here, made the move a lot easier and made it way more smooth and kind of put some stress off me and my family.”
Moving away from her family is a hard thing to do, especially when someone is only 16 years old, for which Bermudez should be given full credit. Unfortunately, this is a reality for many aspiring Canadian rugby union players who want to make a name for themselves. The headquarters of Rugby Canada is in Langford, British Columbia (Greater Victoria) and many of the top-notch facilities in Canada are found in Victoria, BC.
Rugby Canada Sevens (2022-Present)
Bermudez was named to the Sevens team for the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. There, her team finished fourth as they lost the bronze medal game against New Zealand. She would also take part in the 2022 Rugby World Cup Sevens competition that year.
Bermudez was part of history with the Seven’s team as she secured a podium spot with the Rugby Canada National Team. This is how Bermudez described the iconic moment of beating Australia (Source: Nahreman Issa of CTV News):
“(When) we secured our spot on the podium … that moment was probably the most surreal after beating Australia in a semifinal,” the 22-year-old told CTV News Edmonton on Friday. “(It was) probably one of the most exciting moments in my career so far. It was just like an overwhelming feeling of emotion. The team was so connected; we went through so much together, so just securing was very special.”
Rugby Canada 15’s (2023-Present)
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Bermudez’s first competition with the senior national team was in the 2023 Pacific Four Series competition. In that competition, Bermudez scored her first-ever try for the 15s national team in the 40th minute against USA Rugby. Bermudez would score another try in the WXV 1 tournament against France. A sign for things to come as Bermudez had a big 2024 year for the national team.
In the game against New Zealand, Bermudez scored two tries in a very tight 22-19 win in Apollo Projects Stadium in Christchurch, New Zealand. This was the first-ever win the 15’s Canadian team got against the Black Ferns, which meant that Canada would win the 2024 Pacific Four Series competition.
Even Sophie de Goede, considered one of Canada’s best players, had this to say about Bermudez, including her transition from the sevens to the 15s game (Source: Paul Attfield of the Globe and Mail):
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Bermudez would continue to step up to the national team in the 2024 WXV 1 competition. She would once again score an important try against France and make a key defensive stop against Ireland.
Fancy Bermudez with the Saracens Women’s Team (2024-Present)
Late last year, Bermudez began playing with the Saracens Women’s Team. This is what Bermudez said about playing for the club (Source: PWR):
Director of Rugby for the Saracens, Alex Austerberry, had this to say about Bermudez (Source: Premiership Women’s Rugby Website):
A lot of people see huge potential in Bermudez, who is only in her early 20s. This shows the potential that Bermudez has for not just her Rugby Canada Sevens and 15’s team, but also for the Saracens as well. She helped her team make it to the final, but the Saracens Women’s Team lost to the Gloucester-Hartpury Women’s Rugby Football Club, 34-19, in the PWR Final.
READ MORE: Rugby Canada 15s Women 2024: A Year to Remember Forever
Bermudez is just one of many players Canadians can look forward to watching for the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup competition taking place later this year. Those games will take place in August as the Canadians will face Scotland, Wales, and Fiji in their group.
Photo Credit: Rugby Canada
