Giants New Zealand must be wary of bogey team Canada in World Cup semi

Canucks have gone under the radar at Women’s Rugby World Cup but underdogs can upset the champions

For anyone who might be thinking champions New Zealand are a shoo-in to make the Rugby World Cup final, Canada have three key attributes to suggest they can knock out the Black Ferns in their semi-final on Friday evening: Belief, fast ruck speed and Sophie de Goede.

Canada are the world No 2 side and came close to beating England at the 2024 WXV 1, yet have gone under the radar in the buildup to this tournament and during its early stages, with much of the attention focused on the potential for a rematch of the 2022 final between New Zealand and hosts England. Against the Black Ferns in the last four at Ashton Gate, Canada will still be viewed as underdogs in some circles, something the team have spoken about a lot, according to the wing Alysha Corrigan.

“It is something that isn’t new for us, we are usually seen as that underdog and not always getting that recognition we think we deserve,” says Corrigan. “I think that is something that fuels our fire.”

The self-belief is understandable, stemming from recent results between the semi-final opponents. Canada beat New Zealand for the first time at the 2024 Pacific Four tournament and the last time the two teams met at the 2025 Pac Four they drew 27-27.

“The first time we beat them that pushed us, it gave us a huge boost of confidence,” says Canada’s captain, Alex Tessier. “Drawing against them confirmed where we are at, that we have been growing. We have grown after each game.”

For their part, the champions are wary; the most-capped Black Fern in history, the former scrum-half, Kendra Cocksedge, highlighed Kévin Rouet’s team as one to cause them problems.

“I believe they are our bogey team at the moment to be honest.” Cocksedge says. “As soon as you beat the black jersey your tail’s up and you give them confidence. They are playing with that, they are ones we seriously need to consider.”

An element of Canada’s game which could unlock their opponent’s impressive defence is their fast ruck speed. They had the fastest average of any team throughout the pool stage, with 79% in less than three seconds against Scotland in their final and most competitive pool match. They did not slow down in their quarter-final either and if defences are a split second too slow to react, Canada will score – the tally is 30 tries across their four games so far this tournament.

Then we come to the third reason, De Goede. One of the tournament’s best players, her performances are all the more impressive given the context that the semi-final will be only her eighth game since recovering from an anterior cruciate ligament injury.

Rouet has described De Goede as the “cherry on the cake” for Canada, coming into her prime at the right time. The former captain’s statistics back up the hype around her all-action game – two tries, 17 conversions as the team’s goalkicker, successful completion of 47 tackles out of an attempted 50 and four turnovers won.

Despite Canada’s credentials, New Zealand are more than capable of victory, despite being handed a blow with Jorja Miller’s injury. They have won six World Cups after all. They also have the highest World Cup try-scorer in Portia Woodman-Wickliffe on one wing and the current tournament top points and try-scorer on the other in Braxton Sorensen-McGee. While Canada’s recent record against them is strong, that first win over New Zealand was preceded by 17 consecutive defeats.

No matter who books their spot in the final the game should be one of the best, not only in this tournament but in World Cup history. The tournament giants against a force on the rise.