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Sophie de Goede: ‘The momentum we’ve built is worth celebrating’
By Joe Harvey
In her first social media post since Canada lost the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup final Sophie de Goede said that defeat is “going to be a tough pill to swallow”.
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The 26-year-old broke her silence just over a week from the North Americans’ 33-13 loss to England’s Red Roses in front of a world record crowd of 81,885 supporters at Allianz Stadium.
“Gutted from our performance in the final – it’s going to be a tough pill to swallow for a long time,” she wrote on Instagram.
“I know a lot of people think Canada should just be celebrating making the final but winning was always our goal.
“That said, the momentum we’ve built behind rugby back home is certainly worth celebrating. I’m so excited to see Canada continue growing into a rugby nation.
“I feel so lucky to have grown up in our sport; rugby has been a constant, positive thread in my life, and I want more Canadians to experience the same community.”
Since making her senior international debut in 2022, De Goede has forged a reputation as one of women’s rugby’s top competitors. A reputation only furthered by the 26-year-old’s World Rugby Women’s 15s Player of the Year win
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Less than two hours after full-time the 26-year-old could not summon the words to sum up how she felt about receiving the award.
She is the second Canadian to win the award after Magali Harvey, who similarly received her recognition in the wake of a World Cup final loss to England.
De Goede admitted that Canada had been unable to get the right tempo for their attack to tick and credited the Red Roses for their game management in West London.
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Visibly devastated by the Canucks’ loss, that notion of growing the game back in Canada was an immense positive for De Goede to cling to.
Over the course of the tournament there was a sense that people in Canada had started to pay more interest in the team’s progression to the final.
Whether that was increased coverage on the television or the smattering of reporters that made their way to Allianz Stadium for the final, there was a palpable notion of Canadians becoming more invested in their national team.
“I think we were frustrated ultimately with the result because I think we could have brought a stronger message on the field,” De Goede said at Allianz Stadium.
“But if you look at the scope of things, I think we created a lot of momentum for the sport back home and that was one of our major goals. It’s not the celebration that we hoped to be having tonight but it’s still something we can celebrate.
“There’s been a lot of work in the dark and behind the scenes to get to this moment; hopefully that means over the next cycle we can do more of that work but in the light.”
That groundswell of support is just one of many positives that the Canadians hope to harness in the years to come.
Quickly the squad shifted their mindset to the 2029 Women’s Rugby World Cup in Australia and the work that needs to be done to go one step further.
Already it has been proven that Canada has the talent.
They are unbeaten against the Black Ferns in their past three meetings and a head coach in Kévin Rouet with all the nous to devise a plan that could take Canada from being a two-time nearly team to world champions.
“I think you need to focus on it a bit and learn from the experience,” De Goede said.
“Hopefully there will be a much larger chunk at the next World Cup with that experience so it’s important for us to reflect on this match and take that forward.”
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