When Paige DeNeve was asked if she would be attending Canada’s women’s rugby match against England in Toronto on Friday, it almost felt like an insult.
asserted
it → ask → insult
The former Brock University rugby star forced everyone in her family to sign up for the presale wait-list to get tickets for the most-anticipated home rugby match in Canada’s history.
asserted
star → force → history
Her instructions were simple: “Everyone put your email in, I need to go to this game,” DeNeve told them.
asserted
DeNeve → put → them
Six of them obliged.
asserted
Six → oblige → them
“For England to fly all the way over here, if Canada beats them on home soil, that would probably break the internet, break rugby,” the 23-year-old says.
asserted
old → fly → rugby
She’ll be one of an expected 18,000 rugby fans in attendance on Friday when the third-ranked Canadians take their first crack at two chances to avenge their 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup final loss to No. 1-ranked England, first in Toronto before playing at Ottawa’s TD Place next week.
asserted
Canadians → rank → Place
It’s been dubbed the Rugby Rematch Tour and fans such as DeNeve — who will make the trek from Uxbridge to watch her first national team game — hope the Canadians can find a way to beat England for the first time since 2016.
asserted
Canadians → dub → 2016
The English women had won 39 straight matches before a tie with Canada last month in Exeter.
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women → win → Exeter
The last time Canada played England in the GTA was 15 years ago, where they had to settle for a small pitch at Appleby College in Oakville.
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they → play → Oakville
But the surge in the sport’s popularity follows Canada’s World Cup run in 2025 where they stunned New Zealand, the six-time champions, in the semifinals and went on to earn silver.
asserted
they → follow → silver
The Canadian women, coached by Kevin Rouet, are one of the best teams in the world despite being severely underfunded compared to their competition.
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women → coach → competition
While England had a $26-million budget heading into last year’s World Cup, the Canadians totalled $3.6 million, aided by a crowdfunding effort that brought in $1 million.
asserted
that → have → million
Rugby Canada reported revenue of $20.21 million in 2024, while England’s Rugby Football Union made $325.3 million according to its 2023-24 report.
uncertain
Union → report → report
More than half of Canada’s funds came from World Rugby, Sport Canada, the Canadian Olympic Committee, the Canadian Olympic Foundation and other grants.
asserted
half → come → Rugby
Since the first Women’s Rugby World Cup in 1991, Canada hasn’t finished lower than sixth.
asserted
Canada → finish → sixth
At the 2024 Olympics in Paris, the women took silver in rugby sevens.
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women → take → sevens
Canada has been competing for medals for a long time, but the attention is just catching up.
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attention → compete → time
“I can’t tell you exactly how it happened.
asserted
it → tell → ?
It’s probably started from decades before us and has been cultivated over time, and we’re kind of stewards of that culture.
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we → start → culture
We try to contribute to it in the best way possible and then also put wins out on the pitch,” says Sophie de Goede, Canada’s captain and the World Rugby women’s player of the year in 2025.
asserted
Goede → try → 2025
When Canada upset New Zealand to reach the World Cup final against England in front of 81,885 fans at London’s Twickenham Stadium (a record for the women’s game) a year ago, it led to new-found popularity.
asserted
it → upset → popularity
More than 3.7 million Canadians tuned in to the final, making it the most-watched rugby match in the country’s history.
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it → tune → history
Prime Minister Mark Carney made a pit stop to catch the game.
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Carney → make → game
Canadian winger Paige Farries says she and other teammates were recognized by fans in Portugal after the tournament.
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she → say → tournament
Fullback Julia Schell, who scored the fastest hat-trick in World Cup history, ran into the president of Scotland Rugby, who told her the semifinal against New Zealand was one of the best games he’d ever seen.
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he → score → games
“We aren’t always at the forefront of rugby narratives globally,” says Canadian wing/fullback Asia Hogan-Rochester.
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Rochester → say → narratives
“As we started progressing through pool stages, putting on dominant performances … and then making it to the final, we definitely did start to see so much attention globally.”
That success has trickled down.
asserted
success → start → attention
DeNeve, who didn’t start playing until in high school but went on to become the Ontario University Athletics rugby player of the year in her third year for Brock in 2023, says she’s noticed recruitment starting at younger ages through local clubs and provincial competitions.
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recruitment → start → clubs
The stats back that up.
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stats → back → that
Rugby Canada reported more than 46,000 registered participants by the end of 2025, up 11.9 per cent year over year.
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Canada → report → year
Farries hope another groundbreaking moment, this time at home, can help boost the growth even more.
asserted
moment → hope → growth
“A bunch of girls registered for rugby (after the World Cup) because they could see that we were successful on the world stage,” she says.
uncertain
she → register → stage
“I do hope this will be a real moment that we look back on and (say) that’s when rugby changed in Canada.”
asserted
rugby → hope → Canada
Canada is doing the work off the field, too.
asserted
Canada → do → field
Earlier this week the national team visited Central Technical School in Toronto, where Hogan-Rochester played in high school, to sign autographs and talk about the game.
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Rochester → visit → game
“I wish I (had) found it sooner,” Hogan-Rochester, 27, says, “but if I’m able to introduce rugby to someone who’s maybe 16 years old … or give parents confidence to maybe put their kids into rugby as well, that’s something I’m so excited for.”
asserted
I → wish → rugby
DeNeve’s days of starring for Brock are behind her after she graduated with a nursing degree last year, but she still watches university rugby any chance
asserted
she → star → rugby
she gets
asserted
she → get → ?
Getting to see the national team play in front of a massive crowd in Toronto will be a dream come true.
asserted
team → get → Toronto
“My 16 year-old self is going to be shining through,” she says.
asserted
she → go → ?
…and 1 more, not listed.
The Aporia
