Canada’s Rugby World Cup roster is set – and Greater Victoria roots run deep in red and white.
Two Greater Victoria-born players and four others with strong ties are among the 32 women named to Canada’s roster for the tournament, which runs from Aug. 22 to Sept. 27 in England.
It’s a major return for Oak Bay High grad Sophie de Goede, who’s back in Canada’s 15s lineup after missing over a year with a serious knee injury.
The Castaway Wanderers product returned to action earlier this month in South Africa, reclaiming her spot as one of the nation’s most powerful forwards.
Also hailing from Victoria and Oak Bay High is Caroline Crossley, who’s coming off a big performance in Canada’s most recent exhibition series – scoring her first international try in a 50-20 win over South Africa.
Crossley, like fellow Westshore RFC standout Fancy Bermudez, earned silver with Canada in women’s rugby sevens at the 2024 Summer Olympics. Both now bring that elite speed and experience to the 15s side.
Pamphinette Buisa, Gabrielle Senft and Paige Farries – all former members of the UVic Vikes – round out the Victoria connections who will represent Canada on rugby’s biggest stage.
"We are excited to see Paige, Pamphinette and Gabby on the World Cup roster. We continue to see Vikes representing on the world stage, and it's a source of pride for our program," said UVic head coach Brittany Waters.
Canada is currently ranked second in the world, trailing only host nation England.
The Canadians will compete in Pool B alongside Scotland, Wales and Fiji – opening the tournament on Saturday, Aug. 23 at York Community Stadium in York. Kickoff for that match is set for 9:30 a.m.
Before heading overseas, the team will play one final tune-up match on home soil – hosting the United States on Friday, Aug. 1 at TD Place in Ottawa.
"Selecting the World Cup squad forced the coaching staff to make some very difficult decisions,” said Canadian head coach Kevin Rouet. “Since the last World Cup, our focus has been on building depth in the squad, so we had more than just 32 players who could step on the field and perform at any moment. We achieved our goal, but as a result, it meant needing to make some very challenging decisions.”
Canada is coming off a fourth-place finish at the 2021 tournament, where they fell 36-0 to France in the bronze medal game.
Their best-ever result came in 2014, when they reached the final and finished second.
The Canadian women have cracked the top four in five of the event’s nine editions, dating back to the inaugural 1991 World Cup.
