Sophie de Goede: Canada looking for improvements after first up win
Canada made an entertaining start to WXV 1 with a 40-22 win over Wales, but smiles were in short supply post-match. While coach Kevin Rouet was pleased with the result, he felt that his side should have dealt with a plucky opponent much earlier in the game.
“I think we should have finished way before we did,” he told media at Sky Stadium in Wellington after the game.
“We gave them hope they could win this game and – I don’t know the word – killed the game in the first half. We scored 40 points but we should have done a better job.”
Canada captain Sophie de Goede, who scored her side’s first try and was flawless off the kicking tee with six conversions, gave credit to the Welsh, who stuck with the Canadians to only trail by four points at halftime.
“I also give credit to Wales,” she said.
“They had some good moments, they were physical. I’m pretty happy with the way we matched them in defence, but discipline hurt us. Scrums were a bright moment but lineouts weren’t. It’s always nicer to learn from a win, so we’ll take that.”
De Goede said that the pace of the game often frustrated her side.
“It was getting slow. As leaders we needed to inject more tempo into the game, whether that was through a quick tap or a faster set to a lineout. We’ll take momentum through to the next game.”
Rouet said that Wales made his side work hard for all six of their tries, all of which came from close range.
“Yeah, they frustrated us especially close to their goal line. We didn’t finish and they defended well, so I give them a lot of credit for that, but we have a lot to work on.”
Canada came into the game after meeting England twice in the lead up, something that de Goede said had prepared them well.
“I think our last two games against England, we started off being down two tries. So we wanted to get off to a better start in this game. So we’re happy to put points on the board first, but to use a basketball analogy when you get a score you want to get a stop. We let them back in before we got another score, so we want to go score-score back to back. Ideally, we never let them in, though.”
Canada now move on to face England again this weekend as WXV 1 moves south to Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin. The only roofed rugby ground in New Zealand has a famously fast track and a reputation for producing entertaining games, a setting that Rouet says will benefit his side in the long run.
“For us, it’s important because we have a lot of athletes that are new. So they need to get experience two years out from a World Cup, it’s a mix, we want to win for sure, but we want to give experience to our new players so they can express themselves on the pitch.”
De Goede is looking forward to the challenge that England pose, and agrees with Rouet’s sentiments about the future benefits of the WXV tournament.
“It feels great to be in NZ, it’s really cool to be in a rugby playing nation. When you talk about the significance of this tournament in the scope of Canadian women’s rugby specifically, it’s huge. Just for visibility, it’s getting broadcast live back home. So many women and girls have been messaging me saying they’ll be tuning in, so while it’s just incredible for our team right now, I’m really excited about the long-term effects it will have for women’s rugby. It’s only going to help us grow.”
Comments on RugbyPass
Yeah nah he comes across as a funny bloke, but that stopped abruptly after the Nutcracker Prince debacle✋
1 Go to commentsAt this point I can’t watch him without thinking he’s a dirty slimebag. He should have been banned for the same amount of time that Quinn was out. It took Tupaea near on a fricking year to get fit enough to play again and his leg will never be the same. The other crap thing is that he was at ABs level and now he has to claw his way back there when he could have had several games under his belt.
4 Go to commentsThe Black Ferns 7’s have been without Captain Sarah Hirini now since Dec 23 in Dubai where she suffered a bad ACL injury - hopefully she is on the road to recovery for Madrid and Paris. Now also have Tyler King and Shiray kaka on the Injured List but the Team still found a way to win in Singapore and claim the overall Title.
1 Go to commentsUtter grub, hope he gets his leg broken. Shocking he is still playing after intentionally breaking quinn tupaeas knee
4 Go to commentsGreat to see NZ 7s teams finally coming into form and playing at the level that is expected of them.
2 Go to commentsChief Cheapshot on the market again.
4 Go to commentsCrusaders went all in to buy Hotham and Kemara staight from Hamilton Boys. Then they picked up Reihana and Hohepa; all have been dropped for superstar Havili, who is a very good fullback, that’s it. Ennor and Goodhue were schoolboy stars too but went backwards at the Crusaders. Maybe they have finally decided to give another poach Levi Aumua the ball?
13 Go to commentsJoe S has some talent to pick from. The Reds loosies look the best in Super? Aus might just give Razor a headache this year. Int. experience v Cantab greenhorn:) Should be fun.
13 Go to commentsEnd to end play, “THE FANS” this game was entertainment of the best. The conditions added to the spectacle.
1 Go to commentsSorry to say, but sadly the sadas were just ordinary and havilli at 10 as an abs selection just won’t cut it. He’s better suited in the centre’s and is a victim of past charge down kicks, he’s too slow under pressure. There’s better talent further north and I don’t mean dmac however I believe razor will sort him out. A feature of his presents on the park is the fact that the guys will follow him.
13 Go to commentsMarler was brilliant throughout both in the scrum and open play. His slap made virtually no contact with Ramos who milked it for a penalty when he could have been a decent sportsman and laughed it off, it was non-violent and shouldn't have been penalised. Smith failed repeatedly to kick when necessary and put up a couple of bombs into the TLS 22 that just handed back possession at key moments to the other side.
3 Go to commentsCros was outstanding and rightly awarded France TVs player of the match award. Mallia was brilliant as usual (the y is below the 6 on a UK keyboard and he deserves better than that). Level also seems to have been scored harshly as he walked the ball into touch under pressure from a Lynagh kick from well outside his own half which should never have led to a 50-22. Agree with BullShark that Dupont, while class at times, seemed to go missing for patches in the second half with props, hookers and wings frequently filling in at 9 as he couldn't get off the deck and up to the next ruck on time. A 7 by his standards at best, his kicking was also too long, too often. Kinghorn's overall contribution was worth well more than a five.
4 Go to commentsThe Harlequins team must be in minus figures. Did the reporter actually watch the game?
4 Go to commentsHow on earth did Walker escape a red card? Not dangerous? Dupont has his face in a mask earlier this season. Shocking decision. What is the point of TMOs? We had the Fassi ‘non-penalty try’ yesterday and now this.
2 Go to commentsCould have been a different result but yet again French tv able to affect the result by not showing the very clear high shot on harlequin centre if this would have been on a French player would have been on screen at least five times
3 Go to commentsAmazing. 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.
4 Go to commentsI’m sorry. That second half was far from enthralling. It was painful to watch.
2 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.
3 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 comments