De Goede relishing second act at Saracens: 'I definitely feel like I've evolved as a player'
When Sophie de Goede returned to Saracens in September, she did so with a sense of unfinished business.
It was not only the Allianz Premier 15s title that De Goede missed out on during her first spell at the club, during the Covid-impacted 2020-21 season.
Restrictions in place to combat the spread of the virus meant matches were played behind closed doors and also limited opportunities to mix with her new team-mates outside of games and training.
Moreover, being billeted with women’s director of rugby Alex Austerberry on the Kent coast, while idyllic, put distance between De Goede and the bright lights of London.
“Now, [I’m] closer into everything, it’s easy to hop on a train and get wherever you need to go. So, I feel I’m getting more of a London experience,” De Goede tells RugbyPass as she prepares to make her second Saracens debut against Loughborough Lightning on Saturday.
“Last time I was here it was during Covid so everything was closed, and you couldn’t really go out and explore that much or even hang out with team-mates that much outside of training.
“So, it’s nice now to have an opportunity to do cool things, that you’d associate with living abroad and living overseas and actually get to know my team-mates a bit better.”
It isn’t only her colleagues whom the Canada captain is developing a better understanding of this time around. “I think Sarries as a club really prides itself on the relationships and the people side and the family aspect of the club,” De Goede adds.
“And because it was Covid the last time I was here, you couldn’t have those close relationships and really get to know people and spend a lot of time together and even interact with coaches and staff on the men’s side or players from the men’s side.
“Even going into our clubhouse at our training ground… you couldn’t just hang out in there. So, I feel like now I get a better understanding of the actual club of Saracens and how tight knit it is and how much pride there is associated with playing for the club.”
That pride in the jersey and the club has yielded three titles since the English top flight was restructured in 2017 and there is a burning desire to reclaim the championship in the first year of Allianz Premiership Women’s Rugby (PWR).
De Goede, fresh from a first training session since returning from WXV 1 that she describes as “nice and competitive”, is happy to report that all the players are pulling in the same direction.
“We lost in the final last time I was here to Quins and then I know they lost in the semis last year, so I feel like everyone that was here last year is kind of on a similar page to where I’m at in terms of wanting to get the job done and go all the way,” she explains.
“It’s a way more challenging league I feel like than even just two years ago when I was last here.
“There’s way more parity across the league and I think each weekend you’re going to have to prepare like it’s a play-off game because as much as there’s depth on our team there’s incredible depth across the league and the talent pool is just getting stronger and stronger.”
Standing on the verge of the PWR season, and only her second ever match at StoneX Stadium in front of fans, De Goede later confides that she is “looking forward to having no weekends off” between now and 22 June as Saracens target another title triumph.
That level of commitment is certainly on brand for a player who captained Canada to fourth place at Women’s Rugby World Cup 2021, second in the inaugural WXV 1 tournament last month and was selected in the World Rugby Women’s 15s Dream Team of the Year in 2022.
So, does De Goede feel she is a better player than the one who left North London two years ago? “Yeah, I mean I’d hope so,” she says, laughing.
“I think I’ve evolved my skill set, but also just last time I was here I was in full sponge mode, I just wanted to soak everything in.
“I definitely have an aspect of that this time, I think there’s so much to learn from everyone on our squad and from the coaches as well. But I think I’m coming into it with a bit more confidence as well in my own ability to read the game and my own decision making and skills.
“So, I think that will allow me to be more assertive on field and really be a stronger presence on both sides of the ball. So, I definitely feel like I’ve evolved as a player, but I feel like there’s a long ways to go and that’s why I’m here, because I feel like Saracens is going to be the best environment for me to continue that growth as a player.”
De Goede’s journey to this point has certainly been an interesting one. The daughter of two former Canada captains, Stephanie White and Hans de Goede, her earliest memories are of being on a rugby pitch, helping her parents to put out cones for training.
She idolised All Blacks legends Dan Carter and Richie McCaw growing up and having begun her own playing career as a scrum-half, at one stage looked destined to follow in the footsteps of the former as an accomplished fly-half.
De Goede’s accuracy from the kicking tee is a reminder of those earlier days spent in the half-backs, a skill that continued to be nurtured even after she “started to fill out into my body” and was moved by a former coach to number eight in her late teens.
“Sometimes I find myself playing a bit of a ten role in and around the pitch,” De Goede admits. “I have to remind myself to jump back into the mix!”
Despite her lineage, it was not always guaranteed that De Goede would sign up for the family business and become an international rugby player.
The list of sports she played in school is as long as it is varied, and she would excel as a power forward for the Queen’s Gaels basketball team when not starring for the Ontario university at rugby.
Ultimately, though, it was the physicality of the latter sport that proved decisive. “When I was struggling on the rugby pitch, I just wanted to go shoot hoops and relax a bit to just kind of be in your own head,” De Goede says.
“But I was never known as the best shooter, so when my shots weren’t falling on the basketball court, I always just wanted to go hit someone on the rugby pitch. And eventually that sentiment won out.”
Basketball’s loss has most definitely been rugby’s gain and it is easy to forget, given the maturity with which she speaks and the fact that 21 of her 29 test caps have been won as captain, that De Goede is still only 24.
However, while becoming the face of Canadian rugby, it has been beneficial to be able to call on the advice of two people who know what it takes to captain your country, on and off the field.
“I have so many incredible people in my life to lean on, but none are of more importance to me than my parents,” De Goede says. “They’ve been with me every step of the way.
“They probably know how I think, feel and operate better than I do. And so, they’re really good guidance for me when times are good, but especially when times are tougher, and I have to navigate different challenges.
“They’ve been in these shoes before and so I definitely can rely on them both for guidance about on-field decision making and the way that you need to act and play.
“But honestly, I find the job of a captain is the toughest off field, and I think that’s where I’ve really been able to lean on them and learn about that kind of relationship building and conflict resolution and all that good stuff. So, it’s been really good to have them as a resource and I’m definitely lucky.”
Saracens fans will hope that if De Goede can put those learnings into practice in North London then the Canadian will get an opportunity to finish what she started back in 2020.
Comments on RugbyPass
Amazing. The losing team’s ratings are higher than the winning team’s. Mallia definitely didn’t deserve a y. What game were you watching? Should have got a w or an x. ADP hardly featured in that second half. At one point I wondered when he’d been subbed. Seems to me as if he gets an automatic 9 just for getting onto the team sheet.
1 Go to commentsI’m sorry. That second half was far from enthralling. It was painful to watch.
1 Go to commentsVery generous! If you’d missed the game, reading this you’d conclude that it was the Quins front row that cost them the game. Marler getting a blanket 6 for his demented contribution to the game. Puzzling.
1 Go to commentsCan’t see Toulouse beating Leinster at this rate.
7 Go to commentsADP was having a very average game until winning that penalty for Toulouse, sticking his big head in the way. “The head of God”?
7 Go to commentsHarlequins doing their best to do as little damage as possible with all the possession. Looks like they skipped catch and pass drills this week.
7 Go to commentsSeeing pictures of Jacques high-fiving it with Irish players breaks my heart. Too soon. I need more time.
1 Go to commentsquins is all over the place. The minute they get the ball they panic. Quins can still win tho just need to win all rucks otherwise just don't bother.
7 Go to commentsGreat wins for the male & female kiwi sides. Ireland not far away..
1 Go to commentsWhy is this dude getting so much coverage? Usually knobs like this get cancelled.
2 Go to commentsWow. What was that? A 3 million word meandering article about what exactly?
2 Go to commentsNice piece of writing. And yes the Sharks pulled a rabbit from the hat and were a little lucky with that penalty try that wasn’t given… however the Sharks (with their resources) should be way more consistent and should be putting teams like Claremont away for breakfast. I expect more from them and hope they kick on now.
8 Go to commentsJust what the Sharks needed to get things going in the right direction Defence on the outside really creates havoc for the whole team and needs to be addressed.
8 Go to commentsWell done guys both teams will be ready to play knockout rugby.
1 Go to commentsSurprised that Ramos isn't starting at 15. But what a squad of galacticos!
2 Go to commentsWhy is it a snub? What journalistic garbage is that? Sure the guy is a great player, but there are plenty of loose forwards and not all of them can be Springboks. Also, I know of no-one who doubts Rassie’s judgment. South Africa has a conveyor belt of loose forwards that just keeps producing, so the competition is intense. I certainly wish him well, but there is no entitlement and there is no snub.
17 Go to commentsSkelton may be brought back for the Wallabies so that would be the only reason that may hinder Wilson. Easily the form, most skilful and game IQ of any Oz 8. Valentini’s best and favourite position is 6, but lineouts may be an issue with Skelton, Valentini and Wilson. Will be interesting what Schmidt goes for but for me Wilson should be picked on form. Schmidt rewards work rate, skill and consistency. All that glitters every so often won’t be in contention. Greely is one of those players that has a knack of making the right decision. A coach is going to love him because he knows week in week out he’s going to get the job done. The second try Greely wasn’t the guy who made the initial break it was Flook, Greely was at the bottom of the ruck when Flook was off along the sideline. Greely got up and made the effort to catch up with play but also read the play nicely and hit the pass from Campbell at pace and then held the pass beautifully to Ryan.
6 Go to commentsSpot on Ben. Dead right. Havili looked great at 10. Easily the highest rugby IQ of any NZ player these days. Getting a kick charged down is a result of getting used to adjusting your depth to the line at 10, which he will sort out with time. But other than that it was an outstanding first effort in that position this year. I think the NZ media has misunderstood this directive from Razor. Havili might rank behind B Barrett this year, but Beuden is 33 this month and won't last much longer. DMaC is great but flaky and not really a test match animal (his efforts in Dunedin versus Aus last year for example). If Razor can't have Mounga, DMaC is too unstructured for Razor (and is just too small for test rugby). Havili will end up our first choice first five, and in partnership with Jodie will be excellent. Two triple threat operators in tandem, and big bodies and tough tacklers to boot. Jordoe will be the ABs goal kicker. I am an Aucklander and Blues (and Warriors) fan, but Havili at 10 is going to be sensational in time… he can be the best first five in the world by the end of this year. No question.
6 Go to commentsSharks deserved to be far further back by the last quarter. Their tackling was awful, their set pieces were disappointing, their defensive organization was poor (especially on the Kok side of the D line), they kept making unnecessary errors, and they never looked like cracking the Clermont defense during those first 60m. Masuku kept them in touch, with some help from the Clermont generosity on penalty opportunities. Agree with the writer of this article. It was belligerence, and ability to raise their pressure game just enough, that turned the last quarter into a Bok-style shutout. Clermont have a reputation of not playing the full 80m, and there was a bit of that for sure. But, quite often when the intensity of a team drops off in the last quarter credit is due to the opponent for tiring them out. At 60m, with the Kok try, you thought that just maybe the game was on. At 70m, with the Mapimpi contribution, one felt that Clermont were fading, while facing a team that would maintain the pressure game through the final whistle. Good win in the end, but the Sharks are still playing way below their potential. And with their resources, and a coach that has had enough time to figure things out, they are running out of excuses.
8 Go to commentsGood riddance
1 Go to comments