Canadian women host Pacific Four Series rugby at TD Place this weekend

The Canada Women’s National Rugby Team is hosting its first international tournament in years, featuring a roster of players eager to prove their stature on the world stage and reward loyal fans who gather here in Ottawa.

The Pacific Four Series is a four-team competition that takes place around the world over several weeks. Canada will take on six-time World Cup champions New Zealand later today.

Despite being the contest favorites, the “Black Ferns”, as they are known, do not take their Canuck competitors lightly.

We want to show that Canada can compete on the global stage and I think we’re starting to get there.– Team Canada captain Sophie de Goede

“We know it will be a huge challenge to play against Canada at home in Canada, and we know that Canada is an extremely good team, having made it to the semi-finals of the World Cup last year,” said the New Zealand captain Ruahei. ask.

“We know they are a very physical team, they are a very fit team. They play with a lot of love for their country and love for their teammates and they are a very challenging team to grind.”

Proving ground for Canada

Canada will have to make the most of their rare home field advantage against the world’s most dominant women’s team. It’s a challenge Sophie de Goede, captain of Team Canada, loves.

“We want to show that Canada can compete on the global stage, and I think we’re starting to get there,” said de Goede.

“This could be a really big statement game for us to say, ‘Hey, we’re not leaving.’ In any case, we will improve our world ranking and go for the World Cup title in 2025.”

Canada is currently ranked fourth in the world thanks to a fourth-place finish at the 2021 Rugby World Cup.

One player who was part of that team and plays a role in Canada’s future World Cup aspirations is Barrhaven’s Alexandria Ellis. She started playing rugby in high school when she was 15 when a teacher encouraged her to join.

“I was like, ‘I have to keep playing,'” Ellis recalled. “Rugby, frankly, means the whole world to me.”

Ellis asked her mother to cover the costs of participating in a summer league. The way her mother tells the story, she just knew she had to do it, believing it would lead to great things for her daughter.

“And it led me to play abroad and meet great people and play in a World Cup,” said Ellis.

Hot and humid

The immediate test this weekend is against an imposing New Zealand side in hot, humid conditions. For Ellis, success means sticking to the game plan and trusting the process that led the team to promising results.

“Most importantly, we know we have all the tools in our toolbox and can just run on Saturday,” she said.

The US will meet Australia this weekend. Canada will face Australia next weekend and the Americans will play New Zealand.

In addition, the Canada under-20 team and the under-18 Canada East team will play games throughout the week. The national under-20 side will face the England under-20 side on July 8 as part of a doubleheader.