The Women's Rugby World Cup is currently taking place in England. As with any tournament, there have been some talking points. The main focus among these is the progress of the Maple Leafs - the Canadian women's rugby team. They have faced different adversities. Despite this, they have reached the final.
Canada’s women’s rugby team has defied expectations, securing their place as a global powerhouse. They have climbed to the number two in the world ranking and are now set to face England in the Rugby World Cup Final. This incredible achievement is made even more remarkable by their unique financial reality.
While six of the world’s top ten teams are fully professional, Canada’s squad isno'. Their success is a testament to the players’ sacrifice, a strategic approach to funding and the brilliant leadership of head coach Kevin Rouet.
On the eve of International Women’s Day in March, Rugby Canada put out a crowdfunding call for one million Canadian dollars ($725,000) with an unequivocal “mission” statement: Win Rugby World Cup 2025.
The declaration – codename MWRWC – was certainly a bold one. The Maple Leafs have never won the tournament and, having reached the semi-final, faced a six-time world champion New Zealand team that had not tasted defeat in the knockout stage since 1991.
Yet, one pulsating performance later, they stand 80 minutes away from completing their mission.
A 34-19 victory over New Zealand in Bristol, England on Friday rocketed world no. 2 Canada into just its second-ever Women’s Rugby World Cup Final, ending the Black Ferns’ pursuit of a third consecutive crown at the 10th edition of the competition.
"Our tagline is Be-Leaf, Belief. It runs so deep," captain, Sophie De Goede, told the BBC after the match.
"We’ve defied the odds over and over again and that has a way of bringing you together and a way of propelling you forward … (of) fostering that knowledge within the group that we can overcome anything."
After a $150 000 donation from the Canadian Rugby Foundation’s Monty Heald Fund tipped it over the halfway mark in early April, Rugby Canada announced on the eve of the tournament that it had reached 95% of its fundraising goal.
The raised money will be put towards training, coaching, travel and recovery costs, the governing body said, whose women’s team rank second in the world despite their amateur status.
It puts Canada between England and New Zealand in the standings, both of which have players on professional contracts.
"We’re number two, and even after we raise this money, we’re still going to have one of the smallest budgets in the entire tournament," Rugby Canada CEO, Nathan Bombrys, told RugbyPass in April, adding that the collected funds would take its overall budget to $3.6 million.
"In Canada, philanthropy is a key part of the mix, and people are willing to support a good cause," he said. "They want to see the game grow, and they appreciate that the players are amateurs. They are professional in their approach, but they are not being paid, they have to do something else, and our public appreciates that."
Canada’s charge to the final at Twickenham Stadium on Saturday has been anything but amateur, with the Maple Leafs sweeping aside Fiji, Wales, Scotland and Australia by an aggregate score of 193-31.
It leaves the team on the brink of a potential revenge match against world no. 1 and pre-tournament favourites, England, which has roared through the competition racking up 248 points while conceding just 25.
"I said to the girls to stop crying because we have a job to do in eight days," said Canada head coach, Kevin Rouet, who took on the role in 2022.
"That’s the mindset. We need to finish the job and be ready in eight days. I felt it already one-and-a-half years ago that we could do something and I am happy we are one game away from achieving what we want."
"I am excited for next weekend. I want it to be next weekend now."
Kevin Rouet's side have hardly put a foot wrong this tournament.
They won all their group games scoring 40 points in each, thumped Australia 46-5 in the quarter-finals and then blazed past New Zealand in the semi-finals thanks to a fast start which had them leading 17-0 after 24 minutes.
"Canada have one of the fastest ruck speeds," former England flanker Maggie Alphonsi told BBC One when asked to explain what makes the Maple Leafs so good. When you watch the way Canada play, they take the hit and then the ball is out again in under two seconds. It's almost like a Formula 1 pit stop."
Quick ruck speeds - the time it takes for the ball to be recycled after a tackle - are critical if sides want to keep up their attacking momentum and create chaos in opposition defences. This World Cup, Canada have produced the second-most clean breaks, the second-most offloads and have overwhelmingly made the most amount of runs.
They like to play fast and fluid rugby, focusing on keeping the ball off the floor. For comparison, England have made two fewer clean breaks, 48 fewer offloads and 253 fewer runs.
Former hooker and Japan head coach, Lesley McKenzie, who watched England struggle to deal with France in their semi-final, said that Canada have the ability to "scorch England." "Canada will go after England," she told the BBC's Rugby Union Weekly podcast. "They play chaos, they play unstructured. Like France they're unpredictable and they're fit enough and fast enough to back that up."
Canada are in their first World Cup final since 2014, where they lost 21-9 to England in Paris.
Since the last World Cup in 2022, which ended with a narrow semi-final loss to England, Canada have twice finished in the top three of the WXV1 tournament, won the Pacific Four Series in 2024 - narrowly missing out on defending their title on points difference - and the sevens side took silver at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
The Maple Leafs are competing for airtime against sports such as ice hockey, basketball and football, but are making a name for themselves this World Cup, with Canadian pop star, Shania Twain, among those wishing the side good luck on social media before their semi-final.
Despite their riches on the pitch, funding has still been a difficult issue for the Maple Leafs who, unlike England, aren't a fully professional side. To go with the financial support they get from Rugby Canada and World Rugby, the team also raised £530 000 in a fundraising drive titled Mission: Win Rugby World Cup.
"That crowdfunding comes too late to be really functionally productive to any World Cup build-up," said McKenzie, who had to pay to play for Canada when she made her debut in 2004. "So all of the work that's gone into this has already been done. It's been planned for in the preceding years.
"Whilst they don't have money, their IQ on rugby is off the scale right now. [Head coach Rouet] has got such a good demeanour with the group. And it is a complex programme. There's different languages to negotiate. There's different countries, different time zones."
"The country is so big it is completely economically unfeasible to have a big central camp more than once." Several of Canada's squad still live in North America and have day jobs around their rugby. Prop, Olivia DeMerchant, for instance, is a firefighter for the Halifax fire department.
Just over half the squad, including world player of the year nominee, Sophie de Goede, Alex Tessier and fly-half, Taylor Perry, have contracts with English clubs in the Premiership Women's Rugby (PWR) league.
Rugby Football Union (RFU) chief executive, Bill Sweeney, believes it is a good thing that the strength of PWR is helping develop Canada's players, even if it might come back to haunt England on Saturday.
"They're getting the exposure to top-class women's rugby," he said. "We all want to see the women's game improve and levels of competitiveness increase. If that makes Canada a stronger team, if other international players come and play there, and that improves their union performance, that's great for the game."
As for inspiring the next generation back home, McKenzie is confident the final "will have an impact," and that Canada will have a huge chance to become world champions for the first time. "Canada are here to do a job," she said. "It's going to be good, isn't it?"
For all the positivity generated over recent weeks, women’s international rugby union remains a particularly bumpy playing field. That much is underlined by the fact that Canada, ranked second in the world, launched a campaign to raise $1m to top up their training budget.
Canada's team reaching the Women's Rugby World Cup final isn't a surprise for Rugby Canada CEO, Nathan Bombrys, who emphasised their long-standing potential. Despite being viewed as underdogs, Bombrys believes the second-ranked Canadian team is ready to face top-ranked England at a sold-out Twickenham.
He highlighted that the team secured significant funding beyond their budget, proving their preparedness. Additionally, he mentioned the disparity in earnings between the Canadian and English players, with hopes that recent success will boost sponsorship.
Canada raised 95% of a $1 million target through crowdfunding for their World Cup efforts. The Canadian women will earn a modest $12 000 if they complete all matches this year, compared to England players who may receive a £15 000 bonus (~$28,030) if they win.
Canada faces England in the World Cup Final at Twickenham with 82,000 fans expected. The Canadian women will participate in high-profile matches next year within the WXV Global Series.
Following the tournament, Canadian players will tour Europe, continue participating in the Pacific Four Series and aim to secure more sponsor engagements after their World Cup success.
Canada's rise in women's rugby showcases exceptional talent and commitment, proving they are strong contenders worthy of attention, support, and investment as they push for growth in the sport.
It's heartwarming to see a nation come to support their national side. It's a powerful tool to have and it displays how strong a country is. It's a strong and powerful motivator. With a whole nation behind you, the ability to achieve success can become easier. It will put an equal amount of pressure but it can be worth it.