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Canadian legends hail Beukeboom ahead of landmark international appearance
By Joe Harvey
Aaron Carpenter is “excited” for Tyson Beukeboom to break his all-time Canadian caps record this weekend at the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup.
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The lock forward is due to make her 81st for Canada as the side aim to top Pool B with a win over Scotland at Sandy Park.
Over the years Beukeboom has seen various iterations of this Canada side and is currently competing at her fourth World Cup.
A runner-up in 2014 as England last crowned themselves world champions, Canada came into this year’s tournament as contenders again this year as World Rugby’s second ranked side. There is much hope that this latest achievement for the Ontario native is followed by lifting a trophy at Twickenham Stadium in late September.
Beukeboom has been no stranger to breaking records. It was in May 2024 that she became the most capped Canadian women’s rugby player when she won her 68th cap to surpass Gillian Florence.
That match ended with Canada picking up a first-ever win over the Black Ferns.
Last weekend in Greater Manchester, as Canada secured their quarter-final status, the 34-year-old drew level with Carpenter’s tally of 80 appearances in a Canada jersey and will write her name into the history books as her nation’s most-capped player when she steps onto the field this Saturday lunchtime.
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“I am extremely excited for her,” Carpenter told RugbyPass. “To show that kind of commitment to the team for an extended period of time is extraordinary.
“I hope she hits 100 and keeps going. I am proud of the product the women put out on display and wish them the best with their goal of bringing the women’s World Cup back to Canada.”
In some ways Beukeboom was already Canadian royalty. Her father, Jeff, enjoyed a 14 year playing career in the NHL with the New York Rangers and Edmonton Oilers, in which time her won four Stanley Cups, while her cousins Matt and Brett both represented Canada in rugby too.
Over the years industrious forwards have largely typified Canadian rugby. Whether it has been Carpenter, Florence, Norm Hadley or Lesley McKenzie, it is the players in the pack who have often been the focal points of their national teams.
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This can be said for Al Charron. Carpenter’s predecessor as Canada’s all-time appearance maker, the 76-cap back-row has been a staunch supporter of the women’s national team and waved the side off in Ottawa in their penultimate warm-up match ahead of the World Cup.
“I think Tyson is a perfect example of a typical hard-working Canadian rugby forward who puts her head down and gets about the field, pitching in where she is needed,” Charron said.
“Not looking for glory but doing the little and big things that put her team in the best position to win.
“She plays hard but fair and is a stabilising force for our very entertaining Canadian women’s team, striving to win the ongoing Women’s Rugby World Cup.
“I am happy to see her break this record and build on it in the weeks to come. Congrats to Tyson, her family, and teammates.
“It is quite an achievement, which comes because she put a lot of hard work in on and off the field and displayed performances in tests that generated a steady stream of selections over and over again. I might add more wins than losses in those Test matches.
“Hell of an achievement and a hell of a career. Enjoy this, you deserve it!”
What is interesting about Beukeboom and Carpenter is the number of parallels between them.
When Carpenter made his final Canada appearance, shortly after overtaking Charron, he had played on the national team for 12 years. This is Beukeboom’s 12th year as an international.
More interestingly the pair were almost identical in age. On Saturday Beukeboom will be just 19 days older than Carpenter was when he last represented his country.
All this before even mentioning how both are workhorses and tirelessly go about their business on the pitch, silently doing so much of the unseen work that makes any team better.
Off the pitch too Beukeboom has proven her weight in gold. As a mentor, leader and character, the 34-year-old attracts praise.
Sophie de Goede, who similarly broke records a week ago when she became the women’s national team all-time leading points scorer with half a dozen conversions in a 42-0 win over Wales, knows her long-time teammate better than most.
“Tyson just goes about her business,” de Goede said. “She knows what she’s good at, she knows her strengths, and she plays to them. She is in your face.
“I’m her roommate on this tour. She’s reading 90 per cent of the time in the room. She keeps to herself, but she’s also a really good teammate and she’ll show up for you time and time again when it counts.
“To be able to play 80 caps for your country you have to be an incredible talent, but it’s the person, I think that matters more with Tyson. That’s why we are so happy to celebrate her so much.”
For half of her international career Kévin Rouet has been involved with the Canadian women’s national team. Three years were spent as an assistant and three years as head coach.
Throughout his time at the helm Beukeboom has been a near-constant.
When he confirmed that the lock was going to break the all-time caps record this weekend the Frenchman said he loved “the kind of leader that she is” and underlined the clear respect that the duo have for one another.
“81 is amazing and just being alone on top of men’s and women’s, I think it’s very unique,” Rouet said.
“I think she should be proud. She’s an amazing leader. She’s good on defence and she’s an amazing great player on offence.
“I like her and, I don’t know, we’ll chat about her doing a fifth World Cup after this one.”