Canada vs. England: A bandwagon fan’s guide to the Women’s Rugby World Cup final | CBC News

So, you may have heard there’s a pretty big rugby game happening Saturday.

And if that’s as much as you know, don’t worry, we got you.

While many Canadians have been ardently following our underdog national team fight their way into the Women’s Rugby World Cup final and have already planned their Saturday watch parties, others may just be jumping on the bandwagon now and wondering what all the excitement is about.

And trust us, there’s excitement. Just ask Shania Twain, The Tragically Hip and actor Russell Crowe — just a few of the celebrities cheering for Canada.

“They’re going to kick some ass on Saturday. I think our colonial overlords will be surprised,” The Tragically Hip’s guitarist Rob Baker said in a video posted to Rugby Canada’s Instagram.

“Let’s go, girls,” Twain commented on Instagram before last Friday’s semifinal against New Zealand.

So, first of all, welcome to the bandwagon. Second of all, buckle up. 

I’m in. But what’s happening?

Saturday is the Women’s Rugby World Cup final.

Canada is playing England’s Red Roses at Twickenham’s Allianz Stadium before a sellout crowd of 82,000, a record for a women’s rugby test match.

Kickoff is at 11 a.m. ET. It will be shown live on TSN1/4, the TSN App, TSN.ca as well as CTV2. Coverage starts at 10 a.m. with an extended pregame show.

“The match … has potential to mark one of the greatest days in Canadian sport,” Rugby Canada wrote on its website.

WATCH | How this player started her journey to the World Cup: 

Hear how one Canadian rugby player started her journey to the World Cup

Pose Seumanutafa, father of Canadian rugby player Shoshanah Seumanutafa, talks about his daughter’s start in rugby — and the drive, sacrifice and fundraising it took for the team to get to the Rugby World Cup final.

Why is this game such a big deal?

England’s team, ranked No. 1 in the world, is a well-oiled winning machine. The Red Roses have won 32 games in a row, the greatest winning streak in international rugby. They broke their own record two weeks ago when they crushed Scotland in the quarterfinals. 

They’ve won 62 of their last 63 tests (another word for international matches between national teams). The lone blemish on that record was a 34-31 defeat at the hands of host New Zealand in the final of the last World Cup in November 2022.

Now Canada, ranked No. 2 in the world and considered the underdog, is hoping to nab rugby’s biggest prize with its fast-paced, physical brand of the sport. They haven’t played a World Cup final since 2014, when they lost to England 21-9.

Canada swept the pool games against Fiji, Wales and Scotland and blew away Australia 46-5 in the quarterfinals. Next to be blitzed was two-time defending champion New Zealand. Canada handed the Black Ferns their first knockout loss in 34 years.

“They deserve to be in the final,” England coach John Mitchell said Thursday. “They’ve been outstanding, played really great rugby.”

WATCH | Coach says Canada is ready:  

Kevin Rouet says team feels confident heading into Women’s Rugby World Cup final

Canadian women’s rugby team head coach Kevin Rouet says having more preparation time could be a ‘game-changer’ when they face England in the final on Saturday. Canada is unbeaten in 12 matches (11-0-1) since a 21-12 loss to England last year.

Why are we considered underdogs?

In 10 World Cups, the Red Roses have missed the final only once, in 1998, and have won it twice. And while Canada has dominated this tournament, they don’t have a great record against England.

They have not beaten them in their last 13 meetings going back nine years and have won only three of their 37 all-time games. Last October in Vancouver in the WXV, Canada led into the final 13 minutes, but a last-second try gave England a flattering nine-point victory.

There’s also the scrappiness factor. The amateur team has only a fraction of the budget of some of its professional competitors.

International media like CNN, BBC and ESPN have described Canada’s run to the final as a “fairytale,” described us the “crowdfunded Canadian team,” and written that “Canada crowdfunded their way to Women’s Rugby World Cup. Now they’re in the final.”

Why the low budget?

Since rugby went openly professional in 1995, the women’s sevens and 15s have replaced the men as Canada’s flagship teams. But Rugby Canada hasn’t had the means to contract them. 

In March, CBC’s As it Happens reported that Rugby Canada reported revenue of $15.57 million in 2023 with expenses of $15.12 million. By comparison, England’s Rugby Football Union recorded revenue of 175.2 million pounds ($325.3 million) in its 2023-24 annual report.

Canada’s team is amateur, which means our players are not paid salaries. That’s not unusual for a national sports team, but it puts them at odds with the other rugby teams at their level, some of which have gone pro in recent years. 

So in March, Rugby Canada launched a fundraising campaign with the goal of raising $1 million to send, as Rugby Canada put it, “the best-ever-prepared Canadian team to the World Cup.” The money goes to things like increased training time, additional players, coaching and room and board.

According to the fundraising site, they raised 95 per cent of their goal. The Tragically Hip helped, too, by selling a limited-edition T-shirt with proceeds going to supporting the Canadian women.

Is there a standout player?

They’re all good. Obviously. But Sophie de Goede is Canada’s ace in the hole.

She returned in July after 13 months out due to an ACL tear. Her impact has been huge. She leads the World Cup in carries, offloads and lineout takes, and has scored 58 points.

She’s nominated for world player of the year. But so is England centre Megan Jones.

Can you help me understand the sport of rugby?

We’ll try.

See what we did there? Probably not, actually, if you’re asking. OK, here’s a quick and dirty rugby 101.

• It’s a full-contact sport where two teams score points by kicking or carrying the oval-shaped ball through the other team’s side.
• Players don’t wear pads or helmets.
• There are two primary types of rugby: 15s, and 7s. The Rugby World Cup is 15s.
• Rugby 15s features 15 players per side with eight replacements. There are eight forwards and seven backs on a team, according to the Rugby Canada website.
• Games are 80 minutes, with two halves.
• Players can only pass the ball backward or sideways; they can only move it forward by kicking.
• A try, when a player touches the ball to the ground in the other team’s in-goal area, is worth five points.
• A conversion, a kick offered to the scoring team after a try, is worth two points. Penalty kicks and drop goals are both worth three points, Rugby Canada notes.
• A scrum is a method of restarting the play after a stoppage. 

Whew, you made it. You’re officially ready for the bandwagon. Enjoy the ride! You and Russell Crowe both.