The sight of Florence Symonds’ slicked back hair, high ponytail and scrunchie has become a regular sight at the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup.
So far, the 23-year-old has started in all three of Canada’s pool games as they booked a quarter-final match-up with Australia this Saturday afternoon at Bristol’s Ashton Gate Stadium.
Already in her young career Symonds has achieved plenty. Last year she was a leading light on the pitch in Paris as Jack Hanratty’s Canada picked up an Olympic silver medal at the Stade de France and now is aiming for World Cup glory in the 15-a-side game.
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Top 50 Women’s Rugby Players – montage
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Between her last 15s cap in 2023 and her first appearance for Kévin Rouet’s side this year against the Black Ferns in the Pacific Four Series, there was a 20 month gap. It was only her fourth senior game of 15s ever.
For a player that has so seamlessly fit into the backline of World Rugby’s second-ranked side, it is almost difficult to imagine that it was not always in the centre’s plan.
“I always thought of myself as someone who would purely stick to sevens,” Symonds said. “I didn’t ever really have that much (15s) experience coming into the team.
“I think it was a little bit daunting for me thinking about a Rugby World Cup, which is something I never thought I would achieve.
“Coming off that (Olympic silver medal) – one of my biggest rugby goals that I had accomplished – I was asking ‘what’s next’ really. I got this opportunity from Kévin and I just knew I had to take it.”
After she helped Canada to a second-ever rugby sevens Olympic medal at the Games, Symonds returned to university and got her first proper dose of regular 15-a-side rugby.
Alongside her Canada 7s teammate, Charity Williams, the 23-year-old helped the University of British Columbia to their first-ever U SPORTS Women’s Rugby Championship.
It was across that campaign that Rachel Smith emerged as a bolter for Rouet’s squad this early autumn. In many ways it was also a sign of how boundless Symonds’ talents were as she flitted between sevens and her arts degree in Vancouver.
Then once the HSBC SVNS season concluded, Symonds was thrust into a Rugby World Cup proving chamber. Even with that added time on the pitch embedded in 15s, there was still an element of uncertainty as to how things were going to pan out.
“I definitely felt like it was something that took me out of my comfort zone,” Symonds said.
“Coming back into a team with so much 15s experience was nerve-wracking. The team was amazing in letting me come in and just do my thing.
“They’re so supportive. (Alex) Tessier and Shoshanah (Seumanutafa) taught me a lot, and I think they were excited for me to come on. It was honestly a pretty smooth transition.”
Those words of support from Tessier and Seumanutafa have certainly had an effect.
From her first outing in Christchurch all the way back in May, Symonds’ performances have grown and grown. This has included five tries – in World Cup warm-up matches against South Africa, the USA Women’s Eagles and Ireland – and a string of confident outings so far in England.
Creating a formidable partnership with Canada captain Tessier, Symonds has stretched defenders and proven her defensive astuteness. Defence is something that the 23-year-old takes a lot of pride in. It is something she sees as her biggest strength. And it is embraced by her teammates.
A trait that Rouet has installed throughout his Canucks outfit is the want to champion his players’ individual traits. That is partially why the side have developed an unpredictable style of play and can count themselves as World Cup contenders in 2025.
“Coming in this year has felt really different to the previous years,” Symonds said.
“Throughout the build-up to the World cup our style of rugby has changed a lot, and we’re really just empowering each other and individual players to use their skillset and use their strengths on the field.
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“That’s the best thing coming in, maybe you haven’t been with the 15s team all year, they’re trusting me and backing me to make decisions as a rugby player.
“This year, it’s a lot of freedom and a lot of trust. That’s what I love most about this team.”
Symonds’ arrival to the world stage is certainly different to most of her teammates. Born and raised to Canadian parents in Hong Kong, she first picked up a rugby ball aged seven with the Discovery Bay Pirates and quickly rose through the ranks.
As a teenager she helped the Hong Kong U20s sevens side to a gold medal in the Asian Series and represented the senior national side too.
It was almost a surprise when she got a call as a teenager finishing high school asking if she wanted to pack her life up and centralise with the Canada sevens team.
But it is the best decision Symonds has ever made.
“I just never thought it was achievable growing up and playing at a little club in Hong Kong,” Symonds said.
“It was just hard to leave my family and all my friends back home, and that I would step away to live in a country where I didn’t really know anybody at all.
“But I’m really happy I made that decision. It makes sense to me being here right now and I have so much pride representing Canada. I feel a lot of pride and I’m very grateful and privileged to wear the maple leaf.”
Despite dominating Pool B there are questions that surround the Canadians.
After games against Scotland, Wales and Fiji, the side had scored 147 points and conceded just 26 but did display flaws. In that trio of games, the Canadians gave the ball back to their opponents on 64 opponents and conceded 24 penalties.
These mistakes ranged from personal errors to general miscalculation. Not exactly what you expect from World Rugby’s second-ranked side.
Now with the World Cup moving into the knockout stages, such high error rates will have to be quelled should the team want to achieve their ultimate aim of winning the tournament at Twickenham Stadium.
“We are definitely where we want to be right now,” Symonds said. “To top a pool, that’s the best we can do.
“I think looking back, there are some moments that we’re not so happy with. Maybe we are a little disappointed in some of our performances.
“At the end of the day, this is where we are right now, and we know what we can accomplish. We’re in a good headspace right now and we’re just looking to keep it up.”
This weekend Symonds will start at outside centre against Australia in the World Cup quarter-finals.
The Wallaroos are familiar opponents. In May the 23-year-old started in Canada’s 45-7 win in Brisbane to conclude their 2025 Pacific Four Series campaign and rack up a seventh win in seven over the side from Down Under.
Last weekend in Brighton, Jo Yapp’s side showed a previously unseen steeliness for the evening quarter of their game against England’s Red Roses before they succumbed 47-7 to the tournament hosts.
In much the same fashion they have done the entire tournament to date, Canada are looking to back up what has made them World Cup hopefuls.
“It is definitely interesting now that we’re able to play a team where we have three back-to-back weekends of rugby that we can watch and analyse,” Symonds said.
“We know they’re a strong team and we know they will bring a lot to the table. We just have to have confidence out there and play our Canadian way.”