A tall man with a Canadian accent and a Dutch name sits in a Breton cafe, one mile from the home of English rugby. The subject of his T-shirt is his daughter. On Saturday, Sophie de Goede will represent the Maple Leafs against the Red Roses at Twickenham, when Canada meet England in the women’s Rugby World Cup final.
Hans de Goede was Canada’s captain at the inaugural men’s Rugby World Cup in 1987 and he is not the only former national leader opposite me. Stephanie White, his wife, played at the first two women’s World Cups, in 1991 and 1994. Their daughter, Sophie, is not Canada’s captain any more, but she is the star of the only team standing between England and a world title. An hour before Mum and Dad sat down with The Times their daughter was named on the three-woman shortlist for world XVs player of the year.
De Goede’s second such nomination is just reward for a barnstorming tournament. She has previously been in World Rugby dream teams as a No8 and flanker, and now she is operating in the second row. In basketball — the other sport at which she excelled at school and university — they might call her a “five-tool” player. In rugby, she has a tool that forwards are not expected to have.
De Goede’s kicking prowess can be attributed to her multi-sport youth as a footballer and rugby half back
ASHLEY WESTERN/COLORSPORT/SHUTTERSTOCK
As Canada’s goalkicker De Goede is the second-highest points-scorer at this World Cup. It is a remnant of a multi-sport youth as a footballer and a rugby half back.
“She said in the back row your lungs get tired, you’re running so much, but in the second row your legs are tired, and she’s kicking,” Stephanie, 64, says. “It’s a whole different thing.”
Hans, 72, adds: “It seems to be working for her.”
It was not a problem Hans had to consider as a lock, although his second-row partner, Ro Hindson, occasionally lined up long-range efforts, like Allan Martin did for Wales. The De Goedes emigrated from Amsterdam in the 1950s, to escape postwar struggles.
“It was still really rough,” Hans says. “There would be brawls in the street out the front of their store and Mom said, ‘We need to get out of here.’ ”
Elgan with De Goede’s parents and No1 fans: Stephanie, centre, and Hans, right
Hans gave up basketball at school because it clashed with his job as a theatre doorman, switching to rugby. He made his debut for Canada in 1974 and won 24 caps in 13 years. The outlier in his club career is the 1978-79 season, which he spent at Cardiff, before returning home to work as a carpenter.
Being recognised on the streets of the Welsh capital was an alien sensation for a Canadian rugby player, who often exists in near anonymity at home. It was also in Wales that Stephanie competed at the 1991 World Cup, on small fields away from the spotlight. She saw a poster for Calgary Renegades in a record shop and wanted to prove to her rugby-playing brother that she was tough enough, and retired with 17 caps.
“I remember getting a tour of the Arms Park and not being allowed to walk on that hallowed grass,” she says. In contrast, her daughter is on the cusp of a World Cup final at a sold-out Twickenham.
“We stayed in dorms, like college dorms. The girls were staying last week in Bristol at the Marriott Royal. Beautiful hotel.” Hans adds: “Sophie’s never slept in such a big bed.”
In distinctly North American fashion, Hans describes it as “neat” for Canada to play in front of 82,000 people: “They’ll be stargazing for a few minutes when they run out there.”
De Goede, 26, has been in World Rugby dream teams as a No8 and flanker, but is now operating in the second row
JACK THOMAS – WORLD RUGBY/WORLD RUGBY VIA GETTY IMAGES
The Red Roses attract bigger audiences, but neither side have played in front of this many people on such an occasion.
“There was a post about the underdogs and Canadians took real exception to that. Why are we underdogs?” Stephanie says.
Hans interjects: “The dark horses. That didn’t go over very well.”
Back to Stephanie: “People weren’t happy with that, like, ‘Wait a second.’ ”
The last time Canada faced England, at WXV in October, England won 21-12, but were behind in the final quarter. That was without De Goede, who was recovering from an ACL tear that kept her out of action for more than 12 months, missing the Paris Olympics.
After a post-World Cup break, despite Hans’s remark that he would love her to take up a contract in Bordeaux so he can visit, De Goede will return to action with Saracens.
In England she is an influential figure. The De Goedes have followed Canada to every World Cup venue and have witnessed her status.
“The other day in York, or Manchester — maybe it was Exeter? — this lady was sitting beside my friend,” Stephanie says. “She was there with her daughter and my friend was like, ‘This is Sophie’s mom.’ And she just looks at me and said, ‘Can I give you a hug?’ She said,: ‘Do you know your daughter is inspiring my daughter, her friends?’ And this was an English lady, just saying how cool is it. Big, strong, smart women.”
You have to approach the proud parents for comment on Sophie de Goede because the 26-year-old is not the type to screech about her own output on social media. She is more in tune with the traditional way of focusing on the field and the collective, though Stephanie says she is aware of advice to be louder online.
“We have a hard time getting replies to our messages,” Hans jokes of her phone usage.
The Red Roses are seeking a 33rd successive victory on Saturday and a 63rd in their past 64 matches. Beating the Black Ferns in the final, the task that they have never achieved, would have been a riveting end to the story, but so brilliant were Canada last week that they have earned the right to act as the last obstacle. Even the notoriously hard-to-impress Shania Twain has posted her support for the team.
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Canada have a fraction of the financial support on offer to the Red Roses, with the union fundraising C$1million (about £540,000) towards the World Cup budget.
There are some amateur players, but more than half of the squad play among the elite in England and France. It is in that company that they wish to be judged, and their results demand as much as the world’s No2-ranked side.
They are not at Twickenham to give England a training run. De Goede, far from their sole star, will be the one to watch.
“We’ve defied the odds over and over again and that has a way of bringing you together, propelling you forward and fostering that knowledge in the group that we can overcome anything,” De Goede said after the semi-final, adding: “We have one more job left to do.”
Women’s Rugby World Cup final
Canada v England
Twickenham, 4pm
TV BBC1