Abbotsford’s Lessie Tapparo strengthens Axewomen forward pack

The Acadia Axewomen rugby program has added experience and versatility to its forward pack with the commitment of Abbotsford, B.C., native Lessie Tapparo for the upcoming Atlantic University Sport season.

Tapparo, a 5'7 hooker and loose-head prop, joins Acadia after competing at both the provincial and senior club levels in British Columbia. She will study kinesiology at Acadia.

Prior to committing to the Axewomen, Tapparo spent two years at the University of the Fraser Valley while continuing to develop her rugby career. Most recently, she played with the Abbotsford Senior Women’s Rugby Team in the B.C. Premier Women’s League and B.C. Division 1 Women’s League, helping the team capture a silver medal at the Division 1 provincial championships.

Tapparo has also represented British Columbia at the provincial level. She competed with the B.C. U18 and U19 programs at the Canadian Rugby Championship, gaining experience against some of the top young players in the country.

Her rugby background also includes time with the Fraser Valley regional program, where she helped the team earn podium finishes at the B.C. Provincial Regional Championships, including second-place finishes at the U18 and U19 levels.

At the high school level, Tapparo was a standout with Robert Bateman Secondary School in Abbotsford. She captained the team and helped lead the program to a third-place finish at the B.C. high school provincial championship in 2024. She was also recognized as Forward of the Year and Athlete of the Month while serving as part of the team’s leadership group.

Earlier in her development, Tapparo trained with several high-performance pathways, including the B.C. U18 Top 40 training squad and the Ultimate Rugby 7s Academy. She was also selected for England’s U16 player development pathway earlier in her career and captained the Vancouver Gold U18 team in 2023.

Tapparo said the opportunity to compete at Acadia stood out as the next step in both her academic and athletic journey.

“I want to pursue a high level of rugby playing in a program with ambitions,” said Tapparo. “Acadia provides me with the opportunity to push myself both athletically and academically within a supportive community. I can’t wait to be a member of the Acadia women’s rugby team.”