Canadian Women’s Rugby Team Places Second In World Cup

Photo Credit: Rugby Canada

In the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup finals, Canada lost by 33–13 to the England Red Roses on Sept. 27, solidifying their title as second in the world. The final game took place at the Allianz Stadium in Twickenham, England, to a record-breaking crowd of 81,885 fans.

Canada started off strong, scoring five points. However, England pulled ahead soon after, and by halftime, England was leading Canada 21–8. Then, in the second half of the game, England gained more of a lead. Finally, the game ended with a score of 33–13 for England.

“We didn’t score when we had to score, so it’s a tough time,” Canada’s Head Coach Kevin Rouet said after the game, as per Rugby Canada. “When you’re playing against England, if you don’t score when you have to score, you can’t win the game.”

This was not Canada’s first-ever rugby loss against England. According to BBC, the England Red Roses had won over Canada in the 2014 Women’s Rugby World Cup, raising the stakes for this game. In preparation for the finals, Canada played four warm-up matches — twice the number played by England. Unfortunately, in the end, Canada took the loss. 

“Hats off to our girls,” said team Captain Alex Tessier in the aftermath of the finals, according to Rugby Canada. “I’m very proud — we all believed we could do the job, and it just didn’t go our way today.”

Leading up to the Rugby World Cup finals, Canada crushed its competitors, winning matches against Fiji, Wales, and Scotland. In the quarter-finals, Canada faced off against Australia. They won an enormous victory of 46–5. In the semi-finals, Canada competed against New Zealand and won 34–19, securing their spot in the Rugby World Cup finals.  

This year, after raising $2.6 million through a fundraising drive called “Mission: Win Rugby World Cup”, Canada was able to send their most qualified team to a Rugby World Cup ever. Though they still operated on limited budgets and resources compared to their global competitors, Canada powered through with grit, motivation, and sheer determination. 

“When you don’t have money, you have to be creative in the way you prepare,” Head coach Kevin Rouet explained about the team, according to BBC.

This year, Canada also competed in the 2025 Pacific Four Series. According to World Rugby, the Pacific Four Series is an international women’s rugby union tournament contested between four women’s national teams: Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United States. Though Canada won first in 2024, this year, they were a runner-up to New Zealand.

Rugby Canada shares that in the future, they plan to commit to fostering a safe, supportive, and inclusive training environment, embodying unity, prioritizing financial stability, and building on what came before them to honour rugby’s 150-year history in Canada. 

“It’s the most fun rugby I’ve ever had to play because there’s so much freedom,” said Sophie de Goede, a finalist for World Rugby’s Women’s Player of the Year, according to The Squamish Chief. “We make mistakes in the way that we play because it’s not preplanned. We’re constantly reacting to each other […] and often we can create magic off the back of a mistake.”

As a non-profit National Sport Organization, Rugby Canada’s ambition is to continue to be recognized and respected worldwide as a top 12 rugby nation both on and off the field.