What makes Canada so good and will they upset England in World Cup final?

England vs. Canada rugby world cup final

Allianz Stadium, Twickenham Date: Saturday, September Kick-off: 16:00 BST

Although it may seem obvious that England will win the Women’s Rugby World Cup final on Saturday, it is not certain what will happen.

The Maple Leafs are just ahead of them at world number two and unbeaten this year, while the Red Roses are the world’s top-ranked team with 32 victories.

England must take caution after Canada outclassed defending champions New Zealand 34-19 in the semi-finals after leading 24-7 at half-time.

And they had more of the ball, more territory, and were arguably the better team when they faced the Red Roses in 2024, despite ultimately losing 21-12.

This tournament, Kevin Rouet’s team haven’t really put a foot wrong.

They won all of their group games, going on to score 40 points each, beat Australia 46-5 in the quarter-finals, and then blazed past New Zealand in the semi-finals thanks to a quick start that gave them a 17-0 lead after 24 minutes.

When asked to explain why the Maple Leafs are so good, former England flanker Maggie Alphonsi claimed, “Canada has one of the fastest ruck speeds.”

“When you watch how Canada plays, you take the hit and then the ball comes out again in less than two seconds.” It almost resembles a pit stop in Formula 1.

If sides want to maintain their attacking momentum and create chaos in opposition defenses, quick ruck speeds, or the time it takes for the ball to be recycled after a tackle, are crucial.

Canada produced the second-most clean breaks, the second-most offloads, and overwhelmingly made the most runs at this World Cup.

They enjoy quick, fluid rugby, with an emphasis on keeping the ball from the ground. In contrast, England has run 253 fewer runs and 48 offloads in a clean break.

Lesley McKenzie, a former hooker and head coach of Japan, claims that Canada has the ability to “scorch England.”

She stated on the BBC’s Rugby Union Weekly podcast, “Canada will go after England.”

They engage in chaos and unorganized play.

Canada lost to England in Paris for the first time since 2014 in their first World Cup final, which was a 21-9 loss.

Canada has won the Pacific Four Series twice in 2024, narrowly missing out on defending their title on points difference, and won silver at the Paris 2024 Olympics. Since the last World Cup in 2022, which ended in a narrow semi-final defeat to England, they have now won twice in the top three of the WXV1.

The Maple Leafs are vying for airtime against ice hockey, basketball, and football, but they are making a name for themselves this World Cup, with Canadian pop star Shania Twain wishing the team good luck on social media before their semi-final.

The Maple Leafs, who are not a fully professional side, have had to work hard to pay for their financial woes despite their wealth on the pitch.

The team also raised $ 530,000 through a Mission: Win Rugby World Cup fundraising drive in addition to the financial support they receive from Rugby Canada and World Rugby.

When McKenzie made her debut in 2004, she was forced to pay to play for Canada because it came too late to really fully benefit any World Cup build-up.

Therefore, everything that went into this has already been done. It has been anticipated for the previous years.

“They don’t have any money, but they have a ridiculous IQ,” they said.

“Head coach Rouet] has a very friendly manner toward the group. Additionally, the program is complex. There are many different languages used for negotiation. Different time zones and countries exist.

Because of how large the nation is, having a large central camp repeatedly unfeasible economically.

Numerous members of Canada’s squad still reside in North America and work from home. For instance, the Halifax fire department’s Prop Olivia DeMerchant works as a firefighter.

However, only about half of the squad, which includes former World Cup winner Sophie de Goede, captain Alex Tessier, and fly-half Taylor Perry, has signed with English Premiership Women’s Rugby (PWR) clubs.

Even if the strength of PWR may come back to haunt England on Saturday, according to Rugby Football Union (RFU) CEO Bill Sweeney, it is a good thing that the strength of PWR is supporting Canada’s players.

He claimed that “they’re getting the exposure to top-notch women’s rugby.” We all want the women’s game to get better and their composure to get better.

If other international players play there and that makes their union performance better, that’s great for the game.

McKenzie is confident that the final “will have an impact” and that Canada will have a significant chance to win the world title for the first time in terms of inspiring the next generation back home.