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'We came here wanting to win the Rugby World Cup and the first step is to get wins and bonus points'
By Matt Merritt
A 22-12 victory over Italy sees Canada sitting atop their group and second in the seedings, with the prospect of a game against their old rivals USA looming.
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Sophie de Goede, the Canadian captain, was unequivocal on the team’s goals post-game. “We came here wanting to win the Rugby World Cup and the first step is to get wins and bonus points and we managed to do that in our first two games in this pool. Again, it’s very tough opposition like, we saw Japan yesterday against the USA, they are a very tough side, they were very tough in our game as well, and then coming out today against Italy. Gosh, that was the most exhaustive game we’ve played. So, all credit to them and I’m just really happy that we were able to come away with the win today.”
“It’s a Rugby World Cup game, so there’s just that much more meaning behind it.” De Goede explained as she looked forward to next weekend. “Canada v USA is a very meaningful important game for us already. So, there’ll be a lot of emotions behind the game and we can regulate that the best and stay compose under the pressure.”
“Like we knew going into this pool that each game would be difficult and then we needed a win and a bonus point ideally from every game and so we’re two from two now and we’ll just look to go get that third next weekend.”
??? Canada's Senior Women's 15s rolling at the Rugby World Cup with a bonus-point victory against Italy!
Read game recap here: https://t.co/UZguX1MIP0#RugbyCA pic.twitter.com/I2ppNkNEZw
— Rugby Canada (@RugbyCanada) October 16, 2022
“The cool thing about this trophy is the sound from the game embedded in it.” De Goede shared, after being awarded one of the tournament’s unique POTM trophies. ”That will always remind me of the support of my friends and the fans. It’s a very big honour. The fans are a part of the trophy.”
Canada’s head coach Kevin Rouet was complimentary of his team as they battled against tricky conditions to get the job done. “It was a windy day today. I think we managed the first half with the wind with us and we came back after halftime knowing that the wind would be against us. So, keep the possession, do simple stuff and for the first 20 minutes of the second half I was very pleased with what I’ve seen. So, I’m very happy for the girls.”
“We know our set pieces are good, so when you have a good stuff you need to use it. We need to use more our scrum.” Rouet explained, focusing on the set piece dominance his team displayed early on and how they segued to a more running style as the game wore on. “In the second half we had to open the game, use more foot game and moving ball. So, I was enjoying watching that in the first 20 minutes of the second half.”
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With a game against the US next week and the possibility of replaying it a week later in the quarter-finals, as the Eagles are currently 7th in the seedings, it’s important for Canada to keep clear heads and Rouet knows his charges are in for a battle! “Against USA it can be quite emotional sometimes. We know them, they know us. I know that after the tough game against Japan and the loss against Italy they want to make some things on this game. It will be a huge fight against them. We are ready, but we know them, so it’s good.”
