The Canadians are yet to win a Rugby World Cup, but those in the know say this year could be their time. A wealth of experience – on the international stage as well as with some of the best clubs around the world – is coupled with a high degree of youthful injection in their ranks.
For Fiji, Saturday’s game presents an exciting opportunity to showcase their credentials on the biggest stage, ably led by their young captain Alfreda Fisher.
Kick-off: 17:30 BST, Saturday, 23 August
Venue: York Community Stadium, York
From where to go before kick-off, to must-visit local attractions, check out England superstar Ellie Kildunne’s Rugby World Cup 2025 Guide to York.
How to watch: Grab some of the few remaining tickets here.
Or check out our global guide to the TV options in your region.
Canada team
Canada key player: Sophie de Goede (pictured) is about as versatile as rugby players come; despite playing in the second row and being a supreme operator in the lineout, she’s also a reliable goal kicker from the tee. One of the stalwarts of a highly experienced Canadian team, De Goede is likely to be key to her side’s ambitions of winning their first Rugby World Cup.
Fiji team
Fiji key player: Fiji have two players who have bucked the trend in terms of experience on this stage. They are captained by 21-year-old Fisher, while fly-half Salanieta Kinita is only 23 years old. Though some teams have a wealth of experience to lean on, these two are planning to show the world what the next generation can do.
What they said
Canada head coach, Kevin Rouet:
“It’s an unpredictable team, and that’s what we love with Fiji. You can’t be too prepared because it’s very unpredictable. It’s fun to see that kind of style of play. A lot of them play in England, so it’s kind of a different style of play. So you have to prepare for that a little bit, to make sure this is not the same picture they see every weekend in PWR (Premiership Women’s Rugby). It’s fun to analyse our style of play and it’s fun to make your strategy and just show them (the team) the strengths and weakness of Fiji.
“We have a couple of key players who don’t play this game, and we have players who haven’t played in the past two games. So everybody’s engaged, everybody knows the team is bigger than the individual, and I think it’s important to recognise that. And during the past three years, I think they show that they are like working for the team. So there is not much pushback… That I know.”
Canada co-captain, Alexandra Tessier:
“We’re very eager to get started, to get the first game in. We’ve had an amazing prep up to here – the two last game I think were quality and some of their respective halves. But yeah, I think everybody’s excited and we’re a very one-team kind of mindset. It’s always team first across the board. Excitement is the big word right now.
“We also have like an underlying mission to grow the sports in our country. Big competitions like the World Cup allow us naturally to get ourselves out there as well and inspire some of the young girls, younger boys to play rugby. We want to show what rugby is and, to the world as well, what we’re capable of, with our unique style, because I think we love how we play and we want to show the rest of the world too.”
Fiji head coach, Ioan Cunningham:
“It’s a pleasure to be here. We’ve had a great four- or five-day prep in anticipation of our first Rugby World Cup game. An exciting opportunity for us as a team to showcase our talents and our gifts on the world stage and what a way to start against the number two team in the world, Canada. We can’t wait to get going.
“We’ve settled in pretty well at world-class facilities, where we’re training over at Queen Ethelburga’s College. We had some good days on Monday and Tuesday and sharp day today. One captain’s run and then we start.”
Fiji captain, Alfreda Fisher:
“We are excited, we’ve been training really hard. We are trying to adjust to the weather and have been trying to do our best for months and now. We are really grateful for all of the small things that our management and our coaches are doing to make us get better.
“To our Fijian community in the UK, come out in numbers, bring your flags with you and come and support us. To our family, friends and fans back home, keep on praying for us and please just support us until the very end of our campaign in England.”