Move to New Zealand leads to playing rugby league for Canada for hooker Caitlin Sears

TORONTO — Caitlin Sears went to New Zealand for a postgraduate degree. She returns as a member of the Canadian rugby league team.

Having injured a knee in her final year playing rugby union at the University of Lethbridge, rugby wasn’t really part of her plans when she moved to the Southern Hemisphere in 2023.

“I kind of thought I had closed that chapter in my life,” Sears recalled. “But then realized I needed to make some (new) friends. How do you make friends? Through sport.

“And then it’s a pretty quick turn of events to then be able to represent your country and basically travel the world and play the sport you love, which is pretty amazing.”

Sears and the Canada Ravens continue their World Cup qualifying journey Tuesday when they take on Fiji at a four-team tournament in Brampton, Ont.

The 10th-ranked Ravens play No. 16 Fiji at Terry Fox Stadium with the winner to face either No. 8 Ireland or No. 17 Nigeria on Sunday to determine the final women’s berth at the 2026 Rugby League World Cup in Australia and Papua New Guinea.

No. 1 Australia, No. 2 New Zealand, No. 3 England, No. 4 France, No. 5 Papua New Guinea, No. 6 Wales and No. 12 Samoa have already qualified.

The Ravens advanced to the four-team qualifier by beating the 11th-ranked U.S. Hawks 40-8 in the final of the Americas Women’s Championship last November in Jacksonville, Fla. Sears made her Ravens debut in that match.

Rugby league is the lesser-known rugby code, played 13-a-side instead of rugby union’s 15-a-side. It’s a physical game with powerful forwards and elusive backs each offering their own kind of threat.

Sears, whose parents are flying in from Alberta for the game, expects a tough challenge from Fiji, citing its “strong running and hard-hitting style” of play.

But she believes veteran forwards like Megan Pakulis and Channy Crowl and the speed of Canada’s backs will even the playing field.

Pakulis plays for the Gold Coast Titans in Australia’s NRL Women’s Premiership (NRLW) while the Toronto-born Crowl, who moved to England as a child and represented England before changing international allegiance, plays for St. Helens in England’s Betfred Women’s Super League.

A native of Sherwood Park, Alta., Sears originally came to Christchurch to do a master’s degree in health science at the University of Canterbury.

“It was a great school and a really good option lifestyle-wise,” explained Sears, who enjoys the outdoors.

On her new home, she was 90 minutes from the mountains and 20 minutes from the beach.

Having graduated last year, she is currently working part time for Te Whatu Ora (Health New Zealand) and a charity organization that helps youth with disabilities.

After joining a local rugby union club in New Zealand, she was persuaded to try her hand at rugby league.

“A lot of the girls do both, rugby (union) and league,” she said.

Sears trained union and league two days each during the week, playing union on Saturday and league on Sunday.

“Monday’s usually rough,” Sears said with a laugh.

“I started a new job at Te Whatu Ora and showed up the first day with a big shiner. You get the odd looks but once you say ‘Aw, it’s from rugby’ … everyone is really supportive and incredibly passionate about the sport.”

She joined the Sydenham Swans league side which has a heavy Maori component.

“It’s just a different environment, different culture,” Sears said of the Swans. “They’re incredibly welcoming … It’s like a feeling of getting welcomed back into a family reunion.”

“It doesn’t matter where you’re from or who you are,” she added.

A scrum half in union, the five-foot-one Sears plays hooker in league. Both positions involve playmaking and distributing the ball.

“She’s very athletic, a tremendously talented rugby player,” said Canada coach Matt Baron, a former Welsh international. “Her ball skills are very good, rugby IQ is very high and she plays in the top league in New Zealand … It’s a very physical league and she punches above her weight.”

Sears excelled, playing regionally for Canterbury, and was invited to the Harvey Norman Rising Talent Invitational earlier this year in Australia, a combine designed to showcase players for NRLW teams.

“She was a standout player in that. So now she’s now on the NRLW radar,” said Baron.

Sears came to Canada’s attention when one of the Canterbury league team staff tipped Mike Castle, former Canada coach and current director of the Canadian women’s national program, about her. Castle works for the NRL in Australia as its pathways manager.

Fellow Raven Rachel Choboter, who played rugby union for UBC, also plays rugby league in New Zealand with the Otahuha Leopards.

Sears has had help in funding her Canadian rugby league adventure. She launched a fundraising campaign, collecting some $3,400 through a silent auction, raffle and quiz night to help defray the costs of flying home and related tour fees.

“A pretty amazing community here, which is why I was able to get over (to Canada),” she said.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 20, 2025