Canada Rugby Captain Still Haunted by World Cup Final Loss to England

Canada's captain, Sophie de Goede, admits she still loses sleep four to five nights a week, dwelling on the Women's Rugby World Cup final loss to England nearly a year ago. De Goede is preparing to face the world champions again this Saturday in Exeter.

Canada's head coach, Kevin Rouet, downplayed notions of revenge, stating that while revenge is a powerful concept, the World Cup final was the most important game, and the next significant matches will be in the 2029 World Cup. England's upcoming schedule includes matches against New Zealand and two more tests against Canada, presenting a challenging series of opponents for the Red Roses.

England's head coach, John Mitchell, described these games as an "audition" for the 2029 World Cup. He anticipates challenges related to travel and unfamiliar training facilities, viewing these situations as opportunities to observe how the team handles pressure. Mitchell believes that handling pressure reveals the players' commitment.

Despite being professional athletes, the contracts for Canadian players do not yet match those of their English counterparts. The Canadian program utilizes England's domestic Premier 15s (PWR) league to develop its players, with 25 Canadians currently playing in the league. Both Rouet and assistant coach Alex Austerberry also coach Saracens Women in the PWR, while Nathan Smith coaches Loughborough Lightning.

De Goede acknowledged the lack of a high-quality domestic league in Canada as the reason for players participating in the PWR. Mitchell and Charlie Hayter, head of women's performance at England Rugby, have advocated for increased playing time for English Qualified Players (EQP) in the PWR starting next season. Mitchell has theorized that players reaching 1,000 PWR minutes per season have a higher probability of playing for the Red Roses, expressing concern over young English players not getting enough game time.

The Rugby Football Union (RFU) will maintain the requirement of 13 EQP players on average across matchday squads. However, incentives for signing foreign talent will be reduced with the removal of club injury credit. From the 2027-28 season, only players injured while on international duty for an England representative team will be eligible for this credit. Additionally, EQPs who commit to another union will only retain their EQP status until the end of that season.