Justine Pelletier and the 'amazing change of behaviour' fuelling Canada

Justine Pelletier was immense when Canada ended the Black Ferns’ reign as Rugby World Cup champions 34-19 at Ashton Gate in Bristol on September 19, 2025.

The halfback, who has won 31 of her 44 Test matches, proved to be a menace with quick distribution and penetrating runs that consistently surprised the Black Ferns defenders around the ruck. She scored a try and was named Player of the Match.

In 2026, she added captaincy to her already considerable reputation.

“I’ve captained a lot of teams; club, University. Though it’s the first time internationally, not much changes,” Pelletier told RugbyPass.

“I like to lead by example with my play and use my voice to reinforce good stuff. I’m a positive captain. I don’t dwell on the negative. I focus on the good, which is uplifting.”

Canada whitewashed Australia 24-0, and the Black Ferns overpowered the USA 48-15 in the opening round of the PAC4. Pelletier helped Canada gain two-thirds of the territory in their win against Australia with a compelling balance of incisive ruck running, clever kicking, and short, accurate passes to a forward pack that punched holes in tight.

Canada will be hoping for similar efficiency to avoid the 27-27 draw they shared with the Black Ferns in Christchurch in the 2025 PAC4. The result gave the Black Ferns the title. While disappointing at the time, it planted the seeds for what was to follow in Bristol, said Canadian coach Kevin Rouet.

“If you had told our girls in 2024 that they would draw against New Zealand, they would have said ‘great’ — that’s an unbelievable result. The first win that year was due to good defence and lucky moments. We should have won the drawn game. When I saw the disappointment on the girls’ faces, I was pleased. This is not meant to be fun. We should have won. That was an amazing change of behaviour.”

Pelletier agrees. “The three years of building after the 2022 Rugby World Cup were very good. The first year was spent refining our game plan, knowing where we wanted to go and how to do it. The second year showed the plan was working. The first win against New Zealand is something everyone in Canada will remember. It was a historical moment, a moment we really believed in our program.”

Canada made an astonishing 248 tackles in their 22-19 win over the Black Ferns in Christchurch in 2024, with 14 players registering 10 or more tackles. Sophie De Goede topped the count with 27, Pamphinette Buisa contributed 22, and Emily Tuttosi contributed 20. At one stage, Canada thwarted a 36-phase attack.

The Canadian program is about winning, and 11 victories in the last dozen internationals suggest that the brief is being fulfilled, though disappointment still lingers after the 33-13 loss to England in the Rugby World Cup final.

“I’ve shown clips of the final, and we were fully in control. It’s not England defending well; it’s us not attacking the right space,” Rouet rued.

“Our set piece wasn’t amazing. We should have scored more points. Why did we attack this way and not that way? We gave them the chance to recover. Learning the lessons from that game is important for us.”

Team Form

Last 5 Games

24 - 0

13 - 33

19 - 34

46 - 5

40 - 19

15 - 48

42 - 26

19 - 34

46 - 17

40 - 0

4

Wins

4

1

Streak

2

24

Tries Scored

30

81

Points Difference

103

5/5

First Try

1/5

5/5

First Points

1/5

4/5

Race To 10 Points

4/5

Pelletier brings lessons from France to her game. She plays in the Élite 1 competition for Stade Bordelais, which won the championship three consecutive years between 2023 and 2025, winning 50 out of 60 games.

“Unfortunately, visibility of the competition is not very good, but it’s an interesting championship with the top four or five teams, even,” Pelletier said.

“The French style of play is quite different from England. Turnovers and kick counters are an exciting part of the game. The French are good at chaos and at play-what-you-see. I try to bring that back with my English-speaking teammates who provide a good balance with their styles.”

Canada welcomes back World Rugby Player of the Year Sophie De Goede and captain Alex Tessier for the Black Ferns match, which kicks off on Friday, April 17, 5.15 pm CDT (Saturday, April 18, 10.15 am NZT) at CPKC Stadium, Kansas City.