The Black Ferns are six-time Rugby World Cup champions, and have slowly built their momentum over the course of this tournament. A commanding victory over Ireland in the final round of the pool stage brought about a wave of confidence which the New Zealanders carried into their quarter-final victory over South Africa. The win against Ireland was of particular importance to the Black Ferns, whose loss to the same opposition in 2014 was their last defeat at a Rugby World Cup. Since then they have gone unbeaten, winning two titles along the way, and will be a tough prospect for Canada in Bristol this weekend.
By contrast the Canadians have never won a Rugby World Cup, and their loss to England in the 2017 edition remains their only appearance in a final up to now. However, this is widely considered to be the best Canadian team assembled for a Rugby World Cup, and they rank second in the world – one place above Friday’s opposition. Canada went into the quarter-finals on the back of an unbeaten pool phase, and were convincing victors over the Wallaroos in the first round of the knockouts. Their players will be looking to make a statement by beating the tournament’s most successful side in history and get to a sold-out final at Allianz Stadium on 27 September.
Kick-off: 19:00 BST, Friday, 19 September
Venue: Ashton Gate, Bristol
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If you have a ticket already, make sure you read Amber Reed’s top tips for a great time in Bristol.
New Zealand team
New Zealand’s key players: Scrum-half Risi Pouri-Lane will be key to setting the tempo of the match, as will her half-back partner Ruahei Demant, who on Friday will become the third player in history to make 50 appearances for the Black Ferns. The pair will need to get their side moving around the park in attack, but also keep opposite numbers Justine Pelletier and Taylor Perry quiet in defence.
Canada team
Canada’s key players: Full-back Julia Schell will be the last line of defence at Ashton Gate, so her defensive capability will be hugely important, but it’s her work with the ball alongside wingers Asia Hogan-Rochester and Alysha Corrigan that will be key to Canada’s chances of making it into the final. If they can cause trouble out wide, New Zealand’s defence could be stretched and exploited.
What New Zealand said
New Zealand head coach Allan Bunting:
“You want to do great things and adaptability is a key attribute to have. Our ladies have pretty good instinct and we have to see things and think. Obviously they have these set-pieces that we haven’t seen so we have to see that as quickly as possible and adjust and make really good decisions.”
New Zealand captain Kennedy Tukuafu:
“They’re a quality side, they’re innovative and they’re really connected, they’ve played a lot of rugby together. We’re just excited for the weekend to show them a new style of Black Fern’s rugby
New Zealand second row Alana Bremner:
“We’ve got a few girls that have been in position of World Cup semi-final before, then the excitement of those that it’s their first time so we’re just getting around everyone, enjoying the occasion. It’s pretty cool, knockout rugby, these are the moments we dream of. Really looking forward to Friday night, I think it’s going to be an awesome match.”
What Canada said
Canada head coach Kevin Rouet:
“We could have made a couple of changes, but we wanted consistency with the six-day turnaround, so there’s not a lot of training and everybody is ready. You shouldn’t change the way you play. We know the way they defend; they know the way we attack; it’s about not being silly and being brave and smart. That’s something you have to understand as regular players, and if you find the balance, the risk is there in the game. You have to take the risk in the way you play the game.”
Canada captain Alex Tessier:
“Maybe because we’re not contracted, but we all play this sport for multiple reasons. A lot of us went to play overseas, and I did in France. We just genuinely like to play because Kevin (Rouet) gives us the freedom to play how we like, and we’re free to express stuff. That creates an environment where we support each other on and off the pitch, which makes us all very strong and connected.”
Canada full-back Julia Schell:
“We’ve been going on a week-to-week basis and focusing on ourselves. We know it’s a big game and it’s the world champions, and we know what we need to do to beat them. It’s kind of funny, actually, when we’re not on tour, we’re doing all of our conditioning, but once we’re here, just the way we play keeps us conditioned. It’s not like we need to do anything crazy to keep our metres up, it’s almost like we’re doing too much sometimes.”