Canada's Alysha Corrigan, second right, carries the ball as France's Maelle Filopon, left, comes in to help in the tackle in the bronze medal game of the women's rugby World Cup at Eden Park in Auckland, New Zealand, on Nov.12, 2022.Andrew Cornaga/The Associated Press
The Canadian women return home from the Rugby World Cup proud but disappointed after a tournament that saw them impress prior to running into a classy French side in the bronze-medal match.
France romped to a 36-0 win Saturday, before host New Zealand upset top-ranked England 34-31 to defend its world title before 42,579 at Eden Park in Auckland.
The loss dropped Canada to fourth in the world rankings, with France replacing them at No. 3 behind England and No. 2 New Zealand.
As the lone amateur side to make the final four, the Canadian women now find themselves at a turning point.
“I think we’re at a really important crossroads here where the professionalism of women’s rugby is taking off,” said Canada captain Sophie de Goede, a standout throughout the tournament.
“I think we can be like a flagship program for women’s rugby but specifically for North American women’s rugby. Us and the [seventh-ranked] U.S. can be really strong. But we don’t have the rugby cultures yet and the capabilities within our [rugby] union. I only know about Rugby Canada but if we can invest in women’s rugby, in North American rugby, we can truly be powerhouses in the game.”
Canada coach Kevin Rouet, while saying Rugby Canada is doing its best, was blunt about the future.
“If there is investment, we are close to something. But if there is nothing, we are nowhere,” said the French-born coach, who now calls Quebec City home.
The Canadian men can serve as a cautionary tale. They made the quarter-finals of the 1991 World Cup, four years before their sport went professional.
In the seven tournaments that followed, they never made it out of the pool stage with a combined 4-19-3 record. And the Canadian men, now ranked 22nd in the world, failed to qualify for the 2023 World Cup.
Adding insult to injury, the Canadian women missed out on a bonus based on potential top-three World Cup finish.
The French took care of that. They were better in just about every phase, outkicking, outrunning and outhitting the Canadians.
“We didn’t show up. We know it,” said Rouet. “It was not a good performance for us. Congrats to France. They played a great game.”
The Canadians perhaps left their ‘A’ game in last weekend’s gritty semi-final 26-19 loss to England.
“Canada were relentless. They came and they came and they came,” England captain Sarah Hunter said after the semi-final.
“‘Canada were fantastic challenged us in every area of the game,” added England coach Simon Middleton.
The fact Canada gave the Red Roses all they can handle was no small feat given the English women are fully professional with clubs and contracts from their governing body.
In contrast, the Canadian women earned a per diem and match fees at the World Cup. They resorted to a GoFundMe page, raising some $47,000 to help pay for a voluntary centralization in advance of the tournament.
Because 15s rugby is not an Olympic sport, it does not get Own The Podium funding. Rugby Canada has to rely on a helping hand from World Rugby, its own pockets and donations.
Rugby Canada essentially funds the program, with support from the Canadian Rugby Foundation and additional donors, just like the men.
The only players who receive money are sevens players, given theirs is an Olympic sport. The developmental Maple Leafs sevens and Pacific Pride academy players get a “modest stipend,” funded by donors.
The Canadian women’s best World Cup finish was second in 2014 when it lost 21-9 to England in the final. Canada was fifth last time out, in 2017 in Ireland.