Justine Pelletier of Canada will serve as skipper on Saturday against Australia, as the women’s rugby squad gets back into action after its second-place finish in last year’s World Cup.Andrew Cornaga/The Canadian Press
The Canadian women’s rugby team returns to action Saturday, its first outing since a 33-13 loss to No. 1 England in the 2025 World Cup final at Twickenham’s Allianz Stadium.
The second-ranked Canadians face No. 7 Australia in Sacramento in the first round of Pacific Four Series play. For Canada, it’s the first step on the road to the 2029 World Cup.
Games against No. 3 New Zealand and the eighth-ranked U.S. follow at the Pacific Four Series.
New Zealand takes on the U.S. in the early game Saturday at Heart Health Park, with former Canadian international Julianne Zussman, a Rugby Canada Hall of Famer, as referee.
Canada coach Kevin Rouet has not had much time with his team since the World Cup, with just eight days of camp ahead of Saturday’s game.
“I think we need to be confident as a team, to build on what we did at the World Cup,” said Rouet.
“We go on the field to win but we also know it’s a development year for us” he added.
Australia, meanwhile, opened its season with a 33-15 win over No. 13 Fiji, on March 27 in Canberra, in Sam Needs’s debut as Wallaroos coach.
Rouet is missing players with Florence Symonds, Olivia Apps, Fancy Bermudez, Sabrina Poulin and Caroline Crossley all with the sevens team, preparing for the April 17-19 first leg of the HSBC SVSNS World Championship in Hong Kong.
Sophie de Goede (centre, with the ball) will start on the bench having just recently returned to action with her English team because of a flare-up of a past knee injury.Peter Cziborra/Reuters
Scrum half Justine Pelletier, who captains her French club side Stade Bordelais, will serve as skipper with Alex Tessier out with a wrist injury. The good news is Tessier is expected to return for the matches against New Zealand and the U.S.
Former captain Sophie de Goede, the 2025 World Rugby Player of the Year, starts on the bench having just recently returned to action with England’s Saracens because of a flare-up of a past knee injury.
Chloe Daniels and Aurora Bowie both earn their first caps.
Daniels, a member of Canada’s 2024 Olympic silver medalist sevens squad who has spent some three years training with the 15s team, starts at fullback while Bowie, who has impressed with the developmental Canada Selects side, opens on the wing.
The uncapped Kiki Idowu, Sierra Gillis, Brooke Rempel and Corinne Fréchette start on the bench.
“I’m not giving caps just to give caps … They deserve to be capped,” said Rouet, who serves as an assistant coach with the Saracens women while not overseeing Canada.
Rouet also has new coaches in camp with Nathan Smith (head coach of England’s Loughborough Lightning), Alex Austerberry (Saracens head coach) and Anthony Mathison from the senior men’s 15s team.
The Canadian women have won all eight previous meetings with Australia, making short work of the Wallaroos in two meetings last year. Canada won 45-7 in May in Pacific Four Series play before dispatching the Australians 46-5 in the World Cup quarter-final in September.
The Canadians then beat New Zealand 34-19 in the semi-final before falling to England before a women’s rugby record crowd of 81,885. That defeat snapped a 12-game unbeaten run (11-0-1) for the Canadians.
Canada’s Chloe Daniels, seen here in rugby sevens action for Canada, will make her debut with the 15s team.ETHAN CAIRNS/The Canadian Press
Rouet showed his players some clips from the final while in camp, saying he sees the game as a missed opportunity.
“We should have scored way more points than we did,” he said. “But we didn’t … I think we missed so many opportunities.
“I don’t think it represents who we are.”
The Canadians will likely get another crack at the Red Roses in the fall at the WXV tournament.
Ratings are on the line Saturday. A Canada loss combined with a New Zealand win over the U.S. would see the Black Ferns take over second place from Canada.
Canada finished runner-up to New Zealand on points difference at last year’s Pacific Four Series after both teams finished at 2-0-1.
The Canadians won the tournament in 2021 and 2024, when they downed New Zealand 22-19 for a first-ever win over the Black Ferns. Canada had lost all 17 previous meetings with New Zealand, with 10 of those defeats by 27 points or more.
The 25th-ranked Canadian men, meanwhile, will close out their summer Nations Cup schedule against No. 24 Zimbabwe on July 18 at Princess Auto Stadium in Winnipeg. It’s the first international rugby match to be played in the Manitoba capital in 33 years.
The Canada men face No. 18 Spain on July 4 and No. 14 Portugal in July 11, with both games in Edmonton’s Clarke Stadium.
Canada Women’s Roster (x denotes uncapped player)
Brittany Kassil, Guelph, Ont., Ontario West; Emily Tuttosi, Souris, Man., Exeter Chiefs (England); DaLeaka Menin, Vulcan, Alta., Exeter Chiefs (England); Julia Omokhuale, Calgary, Saracens (England); Laetitia Royer, Loretteville, Que., St-Anne-de-Bellevue, Que., Saracens (England); Pamphinette Buisa, Gatineau, Que., Bristol Bears (England); Gabrielle Senft, Regina, Saracens (England); Fabiola Forteza, Quebec City, Stade Bordelais (France); Justine Pelletier (capt.), Riviere-du-Loup, Que., Stade Bordelais (France); Taylor Perry, Oakville, Ont., Oakville Crusaders; x-Aurora Bowie, Stouffville, Ont., FC Grenoble Amazones (France); Claire Gallagher, Caledon, Ont., Ealing Trailfinders (England); Shoshanah Seumanutafa, White Rock, B.C., Counties Manukau (New Zealand); Asia Hogan-Rochester, Toronto, Sale Sharks (England); x-Chloe Daniels, Sutton, Ont., Bristol Bears (England).
Replacements
x-Kiki Idowu, Toronto, Toronto Scottish; x-Sierra Gillis, Victoria, University of Victoria; x-Brooke Rempel, Ariss, On., Ontario West; Ashlynn Smith, Abbotsford, B.C., Rugby Club Toulon (France); Sophie de Goede, Victoria, Saracens (England); Rachel Smith, South Surrey, B.C., UBC; x-Corinne Frechette, Saint-Zephirin-de-Courval, Que., Quebec East; Paige Farries, Red Deer, Alta., Saracens (England).
Pacific four series schedule
April 11: Canada vs Australia, 10 p.m. ET at Heart Health Park, Sacramento, Calif.
April 17: Canada vs New Zealand, 6:15 p.m. ET at CPKC Stadium, Kansas City, Mo.
April 24: Canada vs U.S., 8:30 p.m. at Seat Geek Stadium, Chicago.