Canada Faces England in Rugby World Cup Final Amid High Hopes

London, England – Canada is gearing up for the Rugby World Cup final against England’s Red Roses at Allianz Stadium on Saturday, hoping to claim glory in front of a crowd of 82,000, which marks a new world record for women’s rugby.

The Canadian team, coached by Kévin Rouet, has prepared uniquely by training with headphones that play recorded crowd noise. This innovative approach aims to help the players adjust to the expected intense atmosphere during the match.

“The headphones were my idea, to try and get used to the noise and not being able to hear each other. We know that will be a big factor in this match,” said Rouet. “It’s the small details that matter when you get to this stage, but whether it works or not, who knows, but we had fun and the girls enjoyed it.”

The match is particularly significant for players like Karen Paquin, who has been with Canadian rugby for 12 years. Paquin recalls losing to England in the final 11 years ago and feels the support from that team. “I know that the people from that [2014] team are all behind us big time,” she noted.

Asia Hogan-Rochester, an essential player for Canada, expressed confidence in her team’s abilities, emphasizing their focus on strong communication during the game. “It was a really cool exercise to put the headphones on. It made us really focus on communication and I like how we read each other’s minds when we play,” she shared.

Canada will need to counter the formidable performance of England, who are unbeaten in their last 32 matches. The Red Roses’ home-field advantage is a concern, but Hogan-Rochester remains optimistic, insisting their strategy is to start strong and maintain momentum throughout.

“We’ve taken a lot of pride in starting matches really well at this tournament,” she added. “We don’t want to wait to warm up. Let’s get going early.” There’s a clear determination among the Canadian players to perform beyond expectations as they head into this historic matchup.