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WXV: Beukeboom benched as Canada make nine changes to face England
Head coach Kevin Rouet has made nine changes to the starting Canada team to play England in this weekend’s WXV 1 showdown at BC Place.
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The match will see world number one and number two sides England and Canada go head to head with WXV silverware on the line this Saturday in Vancouver.
England go into the fixture one point better than their hosts in the table, leading with 10 points to Canada’s nine. A win for either side would guarantee the trophy, making it all to play for in the final match of this year’s competition.
Canada captain Tyson Beukeboom is named on the bench alongside a strong armoury of replacements for the home side which includes three Paris 2024 silver medallists: Olivia Apps, Alysha Corrigan, and Fancy Bermudez.
Alexandra Tessier will take the captain responsibilities on the field from the start of the match, Rouet said before the game: “Tessier will be the captain on the field, but we don’t change the way we prep the game. Tyson is our captain for the tour and she’s our captain still.
“It doesn’t change anything much, she’s going to come for the bench for sure and she’s going to close the game against England. Tessier will be starting to chat with the referee but the captain doesn’t change for us.”
Beukeboom added: “It speaks to the depth of our team. Kev is always a man with a plan. Sometimes it’s not my favourite plan, especially when I’m on the bench, but that’s the beauty of Kev is his plans usually work.
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“My job is to come on in the second half or whenever I end up coming on and to play my game, and hopefully come out on top of England.”
Last week Canada’s current captain made her 70th Test appearance for the team. This weekend she’ll be the only Canadian player from the 2014 Rugby World Cup final team to feature against England, though she didn’t enter the field of play from the bench ten years ago in Paris.
She said: “I didn’t actually end up playing in that game and I think if they had tried to put me on the field I would have been like you can’t do that,” she said with a laugh.
“Obviously I’m at a very different position now, I’m a lot more experienced, I was a tiny little baby back then. In 2014 it just wasn’t our day but hopefully, in two days time, it is our day. If it’s not, that’s okay. The 2025 World Cup is what we’re aiming for. We’re looking to win that final there.”
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As Beukeboom has grown as a player over the past ten years, the Canadian team have also established themselves as one of the top sides in the world, a position that they weren’t seen to be in back in 2014.
“We’re not underdogs anymore and I don’t think that we can lean into that,” Beukeboom explained.
“Our confidence has shifted. We’re confident in our ability to play, we’re confident in our ability to play a fast game that really challenges teams.
“I don’t think we have any doubts which is kind of the biggest thing for us. We believe in our system, we believe in Kevin, we believe in ourselves and as long as we can carry that through the game I think good things will come.”
Courtney Holtkamp will start in Beukeboom’s place from last week, switching to wear the number four jersey, and will partner with opening-round try-scorer Laetitia Royer in the second row.
Pamphinette Buisa, who was a late withdrawal last week, returns to start at blindside flanker alongside Fabiola Forteza at openside in the place of Caroline Crossley. They’ll join Gabrielle Senft in the back row, who is one of two forwards retaining their starting numbers from the week prior.
Emily Tuttosi remains at hooker, but this weekend is joined by McKinley Hunt, who starts for the first time since the historic win over New Zealand in the Pacific Four Series in May, and DaLeaka Menin to complete the front row.
Justine Pelletier and Claire Gallagher remain as the half-back pairing, while Tessier and Shoshanah Seumanutafa continue their midfield partnership.
Asia Hogan-Rochester takes the place of Fancy Bermudez on the right wing to earn her first Test start, and Paige Farries comes into the starting lineup on the left wing after missing last weekend’s victory over Ireland.
Julia Schell is named as the starting fullback in the place of Taylor Perry, meaning that six of the starting backs from the opening win against France will face England in the final match.
The match kicks off at 19:00 PT on 12 October, tickets are available HERE. Fans can also watch the match live on TSN in Canada, or on BBC iPlayer in the United Kingdom.
Canada team for final WXV 1 match against England
- McKinley Hunt (King City, ON) – Aurora Barbarians / Saracens
- Emily Tuttosi (Souris, MB) – Calgary Hornets / Exeter Chiefs
- DaLeaka Menin (Vulcan, AB) – Calgary Hornets / Exeter Chiefs?
- Courtney Holtkamp (Rimbey, AB) – Red Deer Titans Rugby
- Laetitia Royer (Loretteville, QC) – St-Anne-de-Bellevue / Concordia Univeristy / ASM Romagnat
- Pamphinette Buisa (Gatineau, QC) – Ottawa Irish
- Fabiola Forteza (Quebec City, QC) – Club de rugby de Québec / Stade Bordelais
- Gabrielle Senft (Regina, SK) – Castaway Wanderers / Saracens
- Justine Pelletier (Rivière-du-Loup, QC) – Club de rugby de Québec?/ Stade Bordelais
- Claire Gallagher (Caledon, ON) – Aurora Barbarians / Leicester Tigers
- Paige Farries (Red Deer, AB) – Saracens
- Alexandra Tessier (Sainte-Clotilde-de-Horton, QC) – Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue RFC / Exeter Chiefs
- Shoshanah Seumanutafa (White Rock, BC) – Counties Manukau
- Asia Hogan-Rochester (Toronto, ON) – Toronto Nomads
- Julia Schell (Uxbridge, ON) – Guelph Goats / Castaway Wanderers / Ealing Trailfinders
Replacements
- Sara Cline (Edmonton, AB) – Leprechaun Tigers
- Brittany Kassil (Guelph, ON) – Guelph Goats
- Alexandria Ellis (Ottawa, ON) – Barrhaven Scottish / Stade Villeneuvois LM
- Tyson Beukeboom (Uxbridge, ON) – Cowichan Piggies / Aurora Barbarians / Ealing Trailfinders
- Julia Omokhuale (Calgary, AB) – Calgary Irish Rugby Club / Leicester Tigers
- Olivia Apps (Lindsay, ON) – Lindsay RFC
- Alysha Corrigan (Charlottetown, PEI) – CRFC / Saracens
- Fancy Bermudez (Edmonton, AB) – NWAA / Westshore RFC / Saracens
Of all the nations in the top 10 I feel that Canada has had the greatest improvement over the past year, with Ireland not far behind. BF have slightly slipped, partly due to the improvement of other nations they haven't developed as much. RR still set the standard but it's their strength in depth that sets them apart. Aus are transitioning well now and the USA will always have heart. The other 6N do need more time although France still blow hot and cold and Wales, well I can't see where they are going