PREVIEW – Rugby Canada v Irish Rugby will be the second of three matches for both teams in the WXV 1 competition. Ireland is just coming off a historic result against New Zealand, while Canada remains unbeaten this year with an impressive win over France.
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Rugby Canada v Irish Rugby: Two Teams with High Sky Confidence
Irish Rugby (2-0-3, Ranked Sixth in the World)
The Irish rugby union women’s national team must be on an absolute high. Just a year ago, they won the WXV 3 competition and from there, things have been getting better. They also just got into this competition barely, by having one more bonus point than Scotland. Now they have made their mark in the WXV 1 competition with a stunning win over New Zealand.
Aoife Wafer scored two of Ireland’s five tries, with Erin King also scoring two tries and Neve Jones scoring the other try.
This is what the Irish head coach, Scott Bemund said about the performance (Source: BBC Sport):
“It’s been a bit of heart, soul and effort that kept us in the game,” Bemund said. “We always talk about keeping the momentum going, we want to be first and foremost a really hard team to play against. At 60 minutes when we were in it, we started to believe more and more.”
Still, despite the historic result, they also seem focused on the Canadian women’s national team, as they are aware of the recent success of the Canadian women’s national team.
Rugby Canada (5-0-0, Ranked Second in the World)
READ MORE: Kévin Rouet: The Women’s 15’s Rugby Canada Head Coach
This might be the best time to be a fan to support the 15s women’s senior national rugby union team in Canada. They have not lost all year and have gotten big results within the past year against France and New Zealand. This is what head coach, Kévin Rouet said after the win against France:
“I think we’re we are going in the right direction. We win against New Zealand at the Pacific Four Series. We never did that. Now we win with consistency against France, and that’s new for us also.”
This is what Canada captain, Tyson Beukeboom, said specifically about the win against France (Source: Rugby Canada):
“Our hope was to come out strong, put down a fast game and play to the space we were given,” said Canada’s captain, Tyson Beukeboom. “I am proud we were able to do that and I think we did it really well. We’ve got a couple things to work on but overall, very happy that we were able to put 46 points up on the board. That is a pretty good performance for us.”
Because of that result, Canada is now second in the world, and now looking to continue that momentum against Ireland. Fancy Bermudez and Laetitia Royer both scored two tries each, with Royer earning player of the match in the game against France.
Players To Watch for Both Teams
There are a lot of players to cover for Canada, but as of this article, two in particular. One is Fancy Bermudez, who has stepped up for her national team when needed the most in the biggest games. This includes scoring two tries each against France and New Zealand this year. This is what Rugby Canada head coach, Rouet, said about Fancy Bermudez’s performance:
“She brings joy, chilling vibes, and scoring tries, and I say again, winning one v one is sometimes as a winger you don’t expect,” Rouet said. “And I know Fancy can unlock a difficult situation, even if the game doesn’t go our way. We know she can unlock that.”
Bermudez is recently making a big move to the Saracens and will be looking to develop more as a player. She is only 22 years old as of right now. Her speed and agility are also something to marvel at as her try, with the help of Alex Tessier might have been the try of the game.
Another player to highlight will be the player of the match of the previous match, Royer. This is what Royer said after winning Player of the Match (Source: WXV X Account):
As for Ireland, there are a lot of players to look forward to as well, as they have players such as Wafer and Jones. Both players played a big role in Ireland qualifying for the WXV 1 tournament and they also both shined in the game against New Zealand. This is what Gloucester-Hartpury head coach, Sean Lynn, said about signing her three years ago (Source: Gloucester-Hartpury):
Head-To-Head
Both Ireland and Canada have rarely faced each other historically. These two teams have only met each other three times in total, with Canada holding a 2-0-1 edge over Ireland all-time. Two of the three games were friendlies as Canada won 48-7 in 2016 at the UCD Bowl in Dublin, Ireland. Ireland had won the second encounter against Canada in 2006 with a narrow 15-8 win at Galway.
The only competitive game between these two teams took place in the 2002 Women’s Rugby World Cup, where Canada opened their campaign with a 57-0 win over Ireland in Barcelona, Spain.
For two unfamiliar opponents, Bashir asked head coach Rouet on the difference of preparing for a game against Ireland compared to familiar opposition such as France and New Zealand:
“It’s like, it’s easier for us to prepare when we play New Zealand, France, England, because we start to know them now. But we did our job. We prep ourselves at our best in those six days. And yeah, I think it’s fine at the moment. It’s good for us to have multiple oppositions.”
Rouet is correct in saying that as it is more difficult to learn an opponent’s tendencies when you have not faced them for almost eight years. Saying that, it gives Canada more teams to play against and more exposure, which Rouet also hinted at with the quote above.
READ MORE: 2024 Rugby Canada WXV 1: Momentum Is High Heading Into BC
What Is at Stake for Both Teams
READ MORE: Rugby Canada’s Speed and Lineout Were Elite
A win for either side would give each team lots of momentum heading into the final matchday of the WXV 1 competition. For Ireland, it would give them a very real chance of potentially winning the WXV 1 competition as they would have defeated the two toughest Pacific Four Series teams in the WXV 1 competition.
Meanwhile, for Canada, a win would likely setup a showdown with England, which is the only team in the world ranked higher than Canada in the World Rugby rankings.
The game at the Langley Events Centre in Langley, British Columbia will start at 3:45pm PT (6:45pm ET). It will be televised nationally live on TSN3, and it will also be shown on TSN+.
Note: The Irish Rugby Roster and the Rugby Canada Roster have been revealed for the game on Saturday.
Photo Credit: Rugby Canada X Account on a Caroline Crossley Headshot on September 29, 2024.
