De Goede returns to captain Canada for Women's World Cup final rematch with England

Sophie de Goede has been named captain and starting lock as Canada face England in their first meeting since the Women’s Rugby World Cup final, part of the 2026 WXV Global Series. The Red Roses beat Canada 33-13 at Allianz Stadium in that November showpiece, played in front of a world-record crowd of 81,885.

De Goede, the reigning World Rugby Women’s 15s Player of the Year, missed Canada’s opening WXV win over Scotland last week — a 64-26 victory — after coming off the bench. Her return to the starting XV for the 25th time as captain prompts a reshuffle in the back row, with Rachel Smith joining Julia Omokhuale and Lizzie Gibson.

Asia Hogan-Rochester is the only change to the back three. The wing scored both of Canada’s tries in the World Cup final and lines up alongside try-scoring debutant Charity Williams and Claire Gallagher. Fancy Bermudez drops out of the squad entirely.

Mikiela Nelson comes in at loosehead prop in place of Brittney Kassil, who received a red card against Scotland and subsequently served a two-game ban. Sophie McDonald retains her bench spot after making her Test debut the previous week.

Head coach Kévin Rouet said the fixture represents an important benchmark for his side. “It’s always an exciting challenge to go against England. This is why you coach and play, to test yourself against the best,” he said. “Playing England in England is never easy but this is the first of three opportunities we have to play against them — the next two will be in Canada — so this week is another step in our journey to test ourselves and make sure we are ready to perform in Canada in front of our fans.”

Canada will host England for two further matches in October as part of The Rugby Rematch Tour, with fixtures scheduled in Toronto and Ottawa. Ticket sales for the 16 October clash in Toronto are tracking toward a new attendance record for a standalone women’s rugby fixture in North America.