Loughborough Lightning can today confirm they have signed Canada internationals Pamphinette Buisa, Chloe Daniels, Brooke Rempel, Kiki Idowu and Rachel Smith.
All five players represented the Canucks in the recent Pacific Four Series, where they worked under Loughborough Lightning head coach Nathan Smith during a secondment period.
Versatile fly-half/fullback Daniels and back row Buisa both join from Lightning’s Premiership Women’s Rugby rivals, Bristol Bears.
Prop Brooke Rempel, hooker Kiki Idowu, and lock Rachel Smith all currently play their club rugby in Canada, and will be playing in England for the first time during the 2026/27 campaign.
“It is a huge statement of intent for Lightning moving forward to sign these players,” said Lightning head coach, Nathan Smith.
“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.”
Pamphinette Buisa (back row)
Versatile back row Buisa, aged 29, joins from Bristol Bears, whom she joined in December 2025. The powerful ball carrier made her Canada debut back in 2017 and has moved to 21 caps.
Buisa has also represented her country in 7s, most notably in the 2020 Olympics. She has also been selected by Canada their final HSBC SVNS Series tournament of the season in Bordeaux this weekend.
Smith said:
“Pam is a physical freak! She is someone I have looked at the for the last two or three years. We have been close to bringing her over on a couple of occasions, and I am delighted to finally get her over the line."
“We believe that, although she is an older player, there are still massive growth areas within her game. She has all the physical attributes to be a world-class player; we hope we can unlock the finer detail of the rugby side of her game to keep on progressing.”
Chloe Daniels (full-back/fly-half)
Alongside former Lightning player Krissy Scurfield, Daniels was a part of the Canada team that won a Sevens silver medal at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
The 23-year-old has shone for many years on the HSBC SVNS circuit before coming over to England in January to join Bristol Bears. She earned her first three international 15s caps during this season’s Pacific Four Series.
Alongside Fancy Bermudez and Buisa, Daniels has also been picked to play in Bordeaux this weekend for Canada 7s.
“I feel like the fullback position is an area that we have not filled since the absence of Fran Goldthorp; it is an area that nobody has really nailed down,” said Smith.
“I wanted to sign an out-and-out fullback, and she has got all the attributes to be a strong Lightning performer. I know she has had limited game exposure at Bristol, but from what I saw when she played for Canada was really impressive, and she fits into our style and brand of rugby."
"She is not just your traditional 15; she can also step up in the first receiver’s roles, which we want all of our backs to be able to do.”
Brooke Rempel (Prop)
Tighthead prop Rempel made her Canada debut during the recent Pacific Four Series, where she was the youngest player in the squad at the age of 20.
The former Brock Badgers, Brantford Harlequins, Ontario West forward proved her versatility, however, on her debut against USA, when she was selected as the tighthead replacement.
Smith said:
“Brooke is a high-potential player and fits our recruitment strategy perfectly. She played out in the Pacific Four Series against Australia and USA and was a dominant scrummager. She is not just dominant within the scrummaging; Brooke is a very good ball carrier and fits in with our way of playing. While predominantly a tighthead prop, she can play at loosehead prop too."
“She has got all of the physical attributes to be a success in the PWR, and Lightning will help her, playing within our system will suit her, but then also the set piece, knowledge and understanding she will gain here will only improve her moving forward.”
Kiki Idowu (Hooker)
Idowu is another young Canadian who made her senior international debut during the Pacific Four Series against Australia, on occasion she marked with a try. She featured in the next two games too.
The 21-year-old caught the eye when she scored a hat-trick of tries against England U21 earlier this year, when she played against her future teammates Kaya Acton, Tamsin Baynes and Amelia Williams.
Smith said: “I’d heard about Kiki prior to my time coaching with Canada. She played against England U20s and she had done really well against them and then was called up into the Pacific Four Series squad, and I was pleased to be the person to hand over her first cap during that tournament."
“Physically, she is exceptional in terms of her ball carrying and her jackal threat. She is a super talented player, who we are really lucky to have at Lightning."
“Once she is in our environment, we can help with her rugby understanding, her rugby IQ. Kiki is already throwing in to the lineout well, the next stage will bemunderstanding more complexities of the set piece. I am looking forward to seeing that develop. She fits into the Lightning way of playing.”
Rachel Smith (Second row)
Smith made her debut for Canada against USA in May 2025, and was part of the squad that reached the 2025 World Cup final. She has since moved to seven caps for her country.
Smith said: “Rachel really impressed me in the PAC4. Working with her, I saw how diligent she was around her setpiece. A growth area of her game is she wants to call the lineout, which is something that myself and Lill [Ives Campion] can develop within her game."
“She is a big physical ball carrier who will fit into the game model we are trying to play. I am really excited to have her coming over to Lightning and I think she will make an impact in the PWR.”
