If fans had been told at the start of the day to predict which Canada international would be the star of the Premiership Women\u2019s Rugby London derby, most would have picked out Sophie de Goede. The versatile world player of the year is in incredible form, after her starring role in Canada\u2019s run to the Rugby World Cup final just over a month ago, but she did not have the chance to live up to those hypothetical expectations as she failed a fitness test a few hours before kick-off. However, such is the Canadian presence at Saracens that another Canuck stood out, with the wing Alysha Corrigan at the heart of the north London club winning the bragging rights with a 47-10 win against Harlequins in this fierce rivalry in front of a 3,733 record Saracens\u2019 regular season crowd.<\/p>\n
Corrigan produced not only two skilful tries but she was also able to beat several defenders throughout the encounter and had defensive prowess which marked her out at a sunny but cold Stone X Stadium. Canadian flair was on display throughout, with Olivia Apps also an electric presence and Laetitia Royer impressing on her debut.<\/p>\n
skip past newsletter promotion<\/a><\/p>\n The latest rugby union news and analysis, plus all the week’s action reviewed<\/p>\n Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. If you do not have an account, we will create a guest account for you on theguardian.com<\/a> to send you this newsletter. You can complete full registration at any time. For more information about how we use your data see our Privacy Policy<\/a>. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy<\/a> and Terms of Service<\/a> apply.<\/p>\n after newsletter promotion<\/p>\n A World Cup-winning Red Rose in Ellie Kildunne was bestowed with the biggest cheers when on the ball though, despite playing away from home. As she competed in her 50th Harlequins game, supporters didn\u2019t need eyes on the pitch to know she was in full attacking flight, with fans deafening as soon as the England icon made a break. She rewarded supporters by topping off her milestone with a try and cheers of \u201cEllie, Ellie, Ellie\u201d were heard after she crashed over.<\/p>\n Another layer to this occasion happened off of the pitch. A queue was formed for a hair-plaiting station pre-match and the first 30 customers received a bow signed by the Sarries and Wales back-row Georgia Evans. The 28-year-old is known for wearing pinks bows in her hair during matches, which was seen when she came on in the second half, but was sent abuse during the World Cup for doing so. She released a statement at the time saying she wouldn\u2019t be changing her look and there was a showing of support from fans at Saracens\u2019 first home Premiership Women\u2019s Rugby game of the season with a large portion of the fans sporting the accessory.<\/p>\n