Back from injury, Canada forward Sophie de Goede making her mark at Rugby World Cup

By Canadian Press on September 11, 2025.

After being sidelined 13 months with a knee injury, Canada’s Sophie de Goede is making her mark at the Rugby World Cup in England.

The 26-year-old forward from Victoria led the tournament with 53 carries during the pool stage — the only player to crack 50. She also ranked first in offloads completed with 10 and was second in successful place-kicks with 13.

“I feel like every game I’m getting more confident,” de Goede said Thursday. “I had only played a couple of games and only test matches — no club games or anything — before coming here. So I think it’s trending in the right direction.”

But as the second-ranked Canadians prepare for their quarterfinal showdown Saturday with seventh-ranked Australia in Bristol, de Goede says there are more boxes to tick.

“I think I’m finding my groove again on attack,” said de Goede. “But where I still really want to improve and I see big areas for development — over hopefully the next three games — is the defensive side of the ball. I think I can be a lot more impactful there.”

That means raising an already high bar. De Goede leads Canada with 34 successful tackles over the three pool games, including 15 last time against Scotland (flanker Karen Paquin stands second with 33 including 18 against Scotland).

De Goede tore her anterior cruciate ligament on June 21, 2024, in a non-contact scrimmage against the United States on the last day of a Canada sevens camp in Chula Vista, Calif. Prior to making her return in a 22-minute cameo off the bench July 12 against South Africa, her last game was May 19, 2024, when Canada defeated defending World Cup champion New Zealand 22-19 in the Pacific Four Series finale.

De Goede, who will earn her 39th cap Saturday, is Canada’s all-time leading women’s scorer with 268 points (12 tries, 86 conversions and 12 penalties). She was named to the 2022 and 2024 World Rugby Women’s Dream Team.

Canada coach Kevin Rouet has made three changes to his starting 15 against the Wallaroos.

Courtney O’Donnell joins de Goede in the second row and Caroline Crossley slots into the back row at blindside flanker, shifting Fabiola Forteza to No. 8. Tyson Beukeboom and Gabby Senft drop to the bench.

Alysha Corrigan, who started Canada’s first two games of the tournament, replaces Paige Farries on the wing.

Rouet has a 6-2 forward-backs split on the bench with Olivia Apps and Shoshanah Seumanutafa the lone backs.

Canada finished atop Pool B after wins over No. 13 Fiji (65-7), No. 12 Wales (42-0) and No. 6 Scotland (40-19).

“Yes we have made mistakes but we still put a minimum of 40 points on every team,” said Rouet.

The Wallaroos finished runner-up to No. 1 England in Pool A, defeating No. 15 Samoa 73-0 and tying the eighth-ranked U.S. 31-31 before losing 47-7 to the Red Roses.

Canada’s starting 15 goes into the match with a combined 518 caps with captain Alex Tessier, prop DaLeaka Menin and O’Donnell accounting for 179 of them. The eight-woman bench has a combined 330 caps, with lock Tyson Beukeboom looking to add to her Canadian-record 81 caps.

Canada is 7-0-0 all-time against Australia and won 45-7 the last time they met, in May in Brisbane in Pacific Four Series play. Each of those victories have been by 12 points or more.

“We’re a much different team from the start of the year and much more capable of taking on those bigger teams than the public think we are,” said Australian backrower Tabua Tuinakauvadra.

Saturday’s game is at the 27,000-capacity Ashton Gate Stadium, home to soccer’s Bristol City and rugby’s Bristol Bears.

“For sure, it’s a different feel knowing that it’s knockout rugby,” said de Goede, whose parents were both Canada rugby captains. “But this is the position we were expecting to be in. So it’s pretty exciting to finally be here and I think there’s an a different energy that’s really positive around the group too.”

“We still have our best performance in us and that’s really positive because we’re going to need those best performances if we’re going to move forward,” she added.

The Canada-Australia winner will face either No. 3 New Zealand or No. 10 South Africa in the Sept. 19 semifinal, also in Bristol.

The Canadian women’s best showing at the World Cup was runner-up to England in 2014. Canada finished fourth last time out, in 2022, after losses to England in the semifinal and France in the third-place match.

Canada Roster

McKinley Hunt, King City, Ont., Saracens (England); Emily Tuttosi, Souris, Man., Exeter Chiefs (England); DaLeaka Menin, Vulcan, Alta., Exeter Chiefs (England); Sophie de Goede, Victoria, Saracens (England); Courtney O’Donnell, Rimbey, Alta., Red Deer Titans Rugby; Caroline Crossley, Victoria, Castaway Wanderers; Karen Paquin, Quebec City, Club de rugby de Quebec; Fabiola Forteza, Quebec City, Stade Bordelais (France); Justine Pelletier, Rivière-du-Loup, Que., Stade Bordelais (France); Taylor Perry, Oakville, Ont., Exeter Chiefs (England); Asia Hogan-Rochester, Toronto, Westshore RFC; Alex Tessier (capt.), Sainte-Clotilde-de-Horton, Que., Exeter Chiefs (England); Florence Symonds, Vancouver, UBC; Alysha Corrigan, Charlottetown, P.E.I., Saracens (England); Julia Schell, Uxbridge, Ont., Ealing Trailfinders (England).

Replacements

Gillian Boag, Calgary, Capilano RFC; Brittany Kassil, Guelph, Ont., Guelph Goats; Olivia DeMerchant, Mapledale, N.B., Halifax Tars RFC; Tyson Beukeboom, Uxbridge, Ont., Ealing Trailfinders (England); Laetitia Royer, Loretteville, Que., Saracens (England); Gabrielle Senft, Regina, Saracens (England); Olivia Apps, Lindsay, Ont., Lindsay RFC; Shoshanah Seumanutafa, White Rock, B.C., Counties Manukau (New Zealand).

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 11, 2025

Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press