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Rugby World Cup 2014 final alumni reuniting ahead of Canada vs England
Ahead of this weekend’s WXV 1 clash between Canada and England, Canadian players from the 2014 Rugby World Cup Final will be reuniting at BC Place in Vancouver.
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Canada lost 21-9 on the day ten years ago, but the side have continued to develop and grow, and are currently ranked second in the world.
The final match of WXV 1 will be a winner-takes-all contest for the title, with Canada going into the match on nine points and England on 10, both having won their opening two matches.
Starting players for Canada in the 2014 final, Karen Paquin, Julianne Zussman, and Elissa Alarie spoke to RugbyPass ahead of the reunion.
“It’s crazy to think that it’s been ten years already. It was earlier in my career, it was a good mix of veterans and rookies I would say,” Alarie said.
“I went in there not thinking that we could lose or would lose. I just thought our team was so great, and was kind of blinded by the whole emotions of it all. Looking back, I think we were just so excited by that semi-final that I think we ran out of juice a little bit for the final. It was a surreal experience, and having so many spectators show up for women’s rugby, was something that I hold on to to this day, which was, which was really crazy.
“One of my favourite memories from the competition was the high after that semi-final, we had a little dance party in the hotel hallway, with pizza, because everyone was starving, and there were so many emotions.
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“For myself, I also remember my dad had said months before, ‘If you make it to the final I’ll fly to France’. And then I remember, after the semi-final, he was like, ‘Well, we just booked our tickets and we’re coming’.
“Nobody thought that we could get there, and then coming back to Canada, it was the first time ever, I think, that a women’s rugby game was on our major sports platform, on TV, on TSN. Before the World Cup, I’m from a small Quebec town, and I’d say, rugby, people would be like, ‘What is that word’, let alone, ‘What is that sport’.
“And then they saw it on TSN, and they were kind of mind-boggled by that. To this day we’re so excited. A bunch of us are coming to the game on Saturday, kind of a 10-year reunion, and we have been chatting on our phones and everything, and so excited to hang out and get to see each other.”
Starting fullback Zussman, who is now a rugby referee, further described the jubilation in the team in 2014, particularly after their 18-16 semi-final win over hosts France. Zussman will join her former teammates at the reunion after assistant refereeing New Zealand vs France, the match before Canada vs England at BC Place.
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She said: “We were so proud to be playing in that final, and we put in a good performance. The real memory came from winning the semi-final and earning that berth into the final. Going into that game, we knew that we had an opportunity to win and to make history in Canada. As the game unfolded, it was pretty insane. It was far from the perfect tournament, it was far from the perfect game.
“There was the infamous Magali Harvey try that came off of a drop ball on our five-meter line. There were lots of moments where it could have gone either way. We had a spirit in that team, and we played with a freedom and a joy that really brought us together.
“The quality of the people involved is something that stays with me to this day, because we just had a team atmosphere like none other. And luckily, together, we were able to accomplish something pretty incredible.”
Paquin, who was called onto the bench in the second round of WXV 1 this year and started at openside flanker in 2014, discussed the emotions of 17 August 2014. To this day, Canada are one of only four teams to have played in a Women’s Rugby World Cup final, alongside England, New Zealand, and the USA, all three of whom have won the title.
“That day was a heartbreak, but at the same time that team was so together, and we believed so much that it was a big heartbreak, but at the same time, we knew that we achieved something that no one else has had achieved back then,” the now 37-year-old said.
“It was very special to be part of a final in a stadium that was full of people. I would say that now we take it with the experience that has come through. The team that we have now is pretty experienced, and we know that in those big moments, you have to stick to your process. You have to keep your head in and stay cool. And I think that’s the big difference. We have that capacity now, and we know we have it.”
A key theme running through the conversation with all three players was the cohesion in the team. Ten years on, a large group of players from the squad will reunite at BC Place as Canada and England go in search of a different trophy.
“It’s been years since we’ve seen each other, and already just in the conversations on the group chat, we’re picking up right where we left off, and the jokes are still flowing, the memories,” Zussman said.
“It’s going to be really neat to get everybody in the same room. And just the fact that so many of us are showing up for this event shows what this experience meant to us. The other thing that’s kind of interesting about this group, is there’s a huge number of people from that group that were still involved in rugby, whether it’s in refereeing, like myself, coaching, broadcasting, governance, or otherwise.
“There was so much passion for rugby in that team, that it’s no surprise that those are a number of the players who are continuing to be involved and give back to the game at all sorts of levels. So we’re still connected in a lot of ways, but it’ll be really nice to get back in a room together, see each other’s kids, see each other’s family, their partners, all the rest of it.”
In the time since their last appearance at a World Cup final, the game has grown globally. Zussman spoke of how rugby has evolved in Canada: “I think the landscape of women’s rugby has changed dramatically. Professionalism in national teams and in many of the leagues in Europe. It’s elevated the quality of rugby, the quality of training and support available to the athletes.
“So with the Canadian team being amateur, they had to be very innovative and very creative in order to keep strides with professional setups and to maintain that world ranking in the top three.
“It’s been a combination of leaders working together on pathways, player identification, player development, not trying to copy what other countries are doing, and focusing on a strategy that fits our landscape and our reality. Especially when it comes to you know how you’re managing pools of players, between sevens and XVs, whether you’re centralised or you’re not, whether players are going overseas or staying domestically, these types of things. It comes down to what makes the most sense, given what our realities are.”
Much of Canada’s success, particularly of late, can be in part attributed to their ‘One Squad’ philosophy which pools together talent from their sevens and XVs teams, with players being part of a squad that encompasses all.
This past summer Canada were once again playing in a final in Paris, this time in sevens at the Olympics. They fell short to New Zealand after a rousing victory against Australia in the semi-final, but once again have shown their strength on the world stage, returning home with a silver medal that has boosted Canada’s excitement towards the game even further.
“They were definitely underdogs like we were in 2014, and they were a very young team, and they had no fear, and they went out there and fought every second in every battle,” Alarie said.
“I was here in front of my screen, probably crying every time and just screaming at the screen. We’re so proud of how that programme has been led and how the players showcase what women’s rugby is about. I think we’re in a healthy place which is really good with hopefully a league of our own at some point, so that we can keep improving and keep matching what a lot of the other good rugby countries are doing.”
Rugby may be a smaller sport in Canada, but the success that the women’s national teams have had on the global stage proves the value of investing in the game.
Alarie explained how she discovered rugby and importantly, how she has found a home within the sport.
“In high school, a group of us just did all the sports, like basketball, hockey, flag football, snowboarding, everything. And then I think they were low on numbers. I think we’ve heard this story a few times, and they were like, ‘Hey, have you tried rugby?’ I had never heard the word before,” she explained.
“I just felt that it was the sport that encompasses, all of the athletic abilities needed in the other sports, evasion, strength, power, and resilience, but it was really the fighting for the teammate beside you, and the selflessness of it that stuck out to me, and how it’s such a diverse range of athletes that can perform in the sport. There’s nothing that gets me more excited than a forward making a big hit. Eventually, the backs, we get the ball and try not to knock it on,” she added with a laugh.
“I feel like it’s such a team sport. It is the best team sport. And so, yeah, from there, I just moved out west to play more rugby, and then, I was lucky enough to go up the pathway and have a few World Cups under my belt, and Olympics.
“It’s given me pretty much everything. For example, I have a wedding next week, and most of everybody who will be there is through rugby. It’s just given me the community that I have today. I’m super grateful, and it allowed me to be who I am, as well as a queer athlete, too. It’s been a safe place to be myself.”
WXV has not only provided 18 teams around the world with increased international competition, it has also allowed the women’s XVs game to visit new venues. The first round of WXV 1 saw women’s international XVs rugby played at Vancouver’s BC Place for the first time.
Paquin explained: “I think having these opportunities is massive. Before we would get, one year with a decent amount of Test matches per cycle and right now, it’s more consistent with those kinds of competition that you get to see good teams regularly.
“That’s really good for us, and it’s needed for the growth of the game as well, which we need more competition and better competition, and it’s more balanced, like right now, so it gives us experience. And you can’t just go to the World Cup and think that you’re going get the best show if you don’t get the exposure to the top teams. I think it’s important, it’s great.
With Vancouver a popular destination on the sevens circuit, Paquin also discussed the importance of playing XVs there, and how it will benefit both fans and their squad.
“I think that’s really important to get the sevens fans to experience XVs and to get them to transfer because we want the One Squad mindset to get across Canada, and for sevens fans to experience XVs here in Vancouver, I think it’s important, and it’s such a good opportunity. And in a way, WXV, is multiple games in one day, so it can feel like a sevens day in that stadium. Bringing the game anywhere in Canada is great, but here, it’s such a big rugby landscape that there’s no reason for it not to spark something and grow again.”
