Sophie de Goede: "We really appreciate the PWR - it's a quality competition"

When Sophie de Goede was rehabbing her ACL injury, she just wanted to ‘get on the boat’ to the World Cup. Now she is playing in the final. 

The Saracens forward tore her ACL weeks out from the Paris Olympics last year and had to sit and watch as her Canada teammates won a historic silver medal. 

The injury also threatened to derail her shot at a second World Cup, with timelines tight as she sought to get enough rugby under her belt to be selected. 

But make it back she did, returning for Canada in July before lighting up the Women’s Rugby World Cup and being named among the nominees for World Rugby's women's 15s Player of the Year award.

"My goal was just to make the World Cup as an individual because I know that this team is capable of making a final and winning it,” the 26-year-old said. 

“I just had to get on the boat and attach my wagon, so I am just really happy that I was able to get back for the World Cup and contribute to this team that has so much momentum.” 

Canada have been near faultless in their campaign, beginning with straightforward wins over Fiji and Wales. 

They were tested by Scotland in their final group game but never in real danger of losing, before dominating their quarter-final against Australia. 

The real test came against defending champions New Zealand, but playing the kind of rugby that De Goede has helped to make Canada’s trademark saw them through to a second ever final. 

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De Goede sits just one point behind leader Braxton Sorensen-McGee for most points at the World Cup, having scored three tries and made 20 conversions and one penalty. 

Because the Canadian can do it all, she is a back-rower currently operating at lock, who is her country’s kicker and has been nominated for World Rugby Women's 15s Player of the Year, despite only having played the last three months.

But she is also humble and credits her teammates for her stellar stats. 

She was the beneficiary of a stunning from-the-floor offload by Justine Pelletier for her third try of the tournament against New Zealand, which showcased the telepathic connections this Maple Leafs team have. 

She added: “It is the time we spend on training pitches when we are in camp, we have had so much more time together to prepare going into this World Cup than we did going into the last World Cup. 

“This attacking style has been the vision of Kevin [Rouet, head coach] ever since he took over the team, six/eight months prior to the last World Cup.  

“We couldn’t pull it off in eight months, but ever since then we’ve been trying to gel and try to react off each other and read each other’s minds and it is really clicking it, which is really positive. 

“When we are playing well, we are just reacting off of each other, we just back each other so no matter what they see.

“We just react to it and play with it, I think you saw that come to fruition against the Black Ferns. Our attack has been clicking really well all the tournament.” 

Their defence was strongly tested by New Zealand in the second half, and the test will only get tougher against world number one side England.

Canada are able to call on a potential secret weapon as their defence coach is Alex Austerberry, head coach of De Goede’s club team, Saracens. 

And with half of the squad plying their trade in the Premiership Women’s Rugby, they know their opposition perhaps better than anyone. 

She said: “I am a really big fan of Alex, he has been a great addition to our team. I am obviously familiar with him from Sarries, I know him more in a head coach role from there, and he has been really good as a defensive coach. 

“You can really see his speciality around breakdown and decision making come out, so it has been really neat to see him in a different role.   

“We really appreciate the PWR in terms of getting quality competition. I think it is a great league, I really enjoy playing in it. 

“We also have athletes playing in France, and Shosh [Shoshanah Seumanutafa] plays down in New Zealand, so that mix of playing in England, playing in France, playing overseas and playing in Canada allows us to adapt to whatever style we want to play against whatever opposition we are playing. 

“I think it is overall good for us. I would love to have a home league, but there are advantages to being spread across the world.”