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Swiss army woman. That’s the best way to describe the versatile and formidable Sophie de Goede, who is at the heart of Canada’s attempt to upset England in the Rugby World Cup final. Eleven years ago, she was in the stands at the Stade Jean-Bouin in Paris as Canada lost to England. Then 20,000 were there but now 82,000 fans await to see if De Goede and Canada can avenge that 2014 result.
A goal-kicker, try-scorer and breakdown menace, the 26-year-old is one of the main cogs in the Canadian machine. Of course Kévin Rouet’s side has other stars, such as the captain, Alex Tessier, and the scrum-half Justine Pelletier, who was unstoppable in their semi-final win against the defending champions, New Zealand, and they allow De Goede the freedom to fly. But she remains the heartbeat and is the one England must stop if they are to lift the trophy at Twickenham.
So far this World Cup, De Goede has scored three tries, a penalty and 20 conversions, culminating in 58 points. She has also won five turnovers, completed 65 of 70 tackles and tops the charts for the most offloads with 11.
Her rugby prowess isn’t surprising when you consider rugby runs in her blood. Both her parents were captains for Canada; her mother, Stephanie, led the country at the first two editions of the Women’s Rugby World Cup and her father, Hans, did so at the 1987 men’s competition.
Her own hard work and attention to detail plays a huge part too, and it has seen her nominated for World Rugby player of the year, alongside England’s Meg Jones and New Zealand’s Jorja Miller. De Goede’s nomination has not surprised anyone in the sport, least of all her Saracens teammate Poppy Cleall.
“It was completely expected,” Cleall said. “Sophie will win the award maybe this year, maybe next. She will win it multiple times if she carries on like she does. The dedication is unwavering.
“Sophie is a special player because she is so diligent and professional in her approach to everything. I have never met a player that carries their own gym equipment to every place she goes. The intensity she brings is because she is so passionate about being the best and it improves everyone around her.”
Her ability to lift the team is even more impressive considering what she’s overcome over the last year as De Goede has been one of the tournament’s best players after recovering from an anterior cruciate ligament injury.
Another Saracens teammate, Sophie Bridger, is inspired by her return to the pitch. She said: “She’s a work horse; you always want to fight with Sophie as you know she’ll have your back. The way she has battled back from her knee injury and showcased such talent when it matters most is what makes her a one-of-a-kind athlete. I can’t wait to share the pitch with her again in north London once she’s back, as she seems to be at the peak of her powers.”
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De Goede sustained the injury a week after being selected for Canada’s 2024 Olympics team. She had to watch from the sidelines as the team won a historic silver medal in the sevens but this time she is in the thick of the action and she feels her performances are only getting better, game-on-game.
“It’s been a long road back, it has not been linear,” De Goede said. “The ultimate goal was just to get here [to the World Cup]. I feel really happy that I was able to get here and I am delighted with the way it has been building. Each game I am able to feel a bit more in control and to play a bit better. I think the team has been so wonderful in supporting me on and off the field. It’s been really positive.
“Any tries you see are off the back of multiple team members’ positive impacts. One thing the team does really well is if the individual makes a decision we all just play off the back of it. There’s no questioning it. I think that helps our cohesion and why you see so many tries and why our attack is going so well because we are all backing each other.”
Canada have beaten England only three times, most recently a 52-17 win in 2016. But such history means nothing in a final and Canada are more than capable of undoing England to render a seismic change for women’s rugby at home. At the heart of it all will be De Goede, who still has photos on her phone of that 2014 final. Maybe she will take one last look at them before running out on to the pitch, ready to make history.
