Canada team named to face England - Women's Rugby World Cup Final

The starting XV features World Rugby Women’s 15s Player of the Year nominee Sophie de Goede at second row, while two players from Canada’s 2014 Women’s Rugby World Cup final defeat to England return to the squad. Karen Paquin starts at openside flanker, and Tyson Beukeboom is included on the bench, echoing the eight-year-old milestone.

The last time the teams met, in the 2024 WXV1 finale in Vancouver, England scored two late tries to win 21-12, giving Canada fresh motivation ahead of the rematch.

Reflecting on the week of preparation, Canada head coach Rouet said: “So far so good, a good week of prep. We have one more big practice this afternoon, after this we are going to be confident. Similar to last week and the week before, I like the energy of the group, so it’s good.”

Rouet also described the squad’s unusual training techniques, including practising with headphones: “It’s about getting used to the noise and not being able to hear others because we know that will be a factor of small details but also to change the synergy of the practice and having more fun and reduce the pressure. It was just an idea, if it will work or not we will never know.”

Rouet acknowledged the growth the team has made since the last World Cup: “We were very close last World Cup; we lost in the semi-final against England and I will say all the matrix were in our favour, but not the score. But we were not ready in those kinds of high-pressure games to deliver and that's a big difference.

"Also, we changed the way we play because it was six months building confidence and that stuff takes time. I saw that one year ago that we were going the right direction and we do a lot of good stuff. Our win against New Zealand will help us to believe in that.” On the underdog status, he added: “Personally, no, potentially for some of the girls, but we have those conversations about it… What we care about is building rugby in Canada.”

Karen Paquin, who played in the 2014 final, said facing England again is “Fuel, in terms of pride. I know that the people from that [2014] team are all behind us big time. We hear it, we feel it. But we're focused on what's happening here. It's a different team, a different coach. Everything's different.”

Paquin also reflected on the challenge of playing in front of a huge crowd, with a sell-out on the cards for the showpiece match at the Allianz Stadium, Twickenham this Saturday: “80,000? No, nobody has done that yet! No one! We’re preparing for the atmosphere to make sure we can hear each other and we can make the calls, stay calm, take the energy and not be overwhelmed by it.”

Asia Hogan-Rochester shared her mixed emotions ahead of the final: “A part of me is sad because I’m going to miss the team so much. We’ve been building towards this game together for the last six weeks but also over the last couple of years. So it’s tough, but I’m excited to be able to put everything we’ve been working with on the pitch this weekend.”

The wing emphasised the importance of this Canada's squad's Women's Rugby World Cup legacy: “I want to continue to build on the moment and turn it into a momentum piece instead of just one moment. How can we get girls and boys involved? How can we get more eyes on the sport?”

The Canadian squad enters the final confident after their seismic semi-final triumph over New Zealand, determined to seize their first Women’s Rugby World Cup title while building the sport’s profile at home.

15 Julia Schell
14 Alysha Corrigan
13 Florence Symonds
12 Alex Tessier
11 Asia Hogan-Rochester
10 Taylor Perry
9 Justine Pelletier

1 McKinley Hunt
2 Emily Tuttosi
3 DaLeaka Menin
4 Sophie de Goede
5 Courtney O'Donnell
6 Caroline Crossley
7 Karen Paquin
8 Fabiola Forteza

Replacements
16 Gillian Boag
17 Brittany Kassil
18 Olivia DeMerchant
19 Tyson Beukeboom
20 Laetitia Royer
21 Gabrielle Senft
22 Olivia Apps
23 Shoshanah Seumanutafa