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鈥淚t鈥檚 a watch party here on every game day. We just get together and celebrate,鈥� said McAuley, now an聽assistant coach for the University of Guelph Gryphons women鈥檚 rugby team, which has plenty of incentive to be invested in the team trying to bring a gold medal to Canada. Brittany Kassil, Julia Schell and Taylor McKnight have all played in Guelph.

McAuley is excited by the changes since 2014.

鈥淚 think we were truly the underdogs back then,鈥� she said, recalling how many players on the 2014 squad had no overseas or professional experience and had not faced the world powers. The current team, ranked No. 2 under head coach Kevin Rouet, has a shot against anybody.

鈥淗e just really believed in their abilities, and that belief turned into confidence and that confidence turned into chemistry, and now this team is just dynamite,鈥� McAuley said. 鈥淭he intimidation factor isn鈥檛 there anymore because some of them are teammates (at the club level), so they know how they play. (The players have) the ability to read the opposition.鈥�

Jane Kirby who retired after earning 30 caps for Canada, remembers working two jobs while most of her teammates also had full-time jobs on top of playing.

鈥淭hat was the first time we were being paid to participate, and I鈥檓 using the term 鈥榩aid鈥� very generously because it didn鈥檛 cover our flight, they didn鈥檛 cover our time off work, but it mattered,鈥� she said.

Kirby, a Brampton native, said she fell in love with rugby partly because of the camaraderie. Even the opponents don鈥檛 feel like enemies once the final whistle is blown. But make no mistake: Saturday鈥檚 rematch is definitely personal.

鈥淚t really does feel like unfinished business from 2014 and I absolutely want Canada to beat England this time around,鈥� Kirby said.

Former captain Kelly Russell feels the same way. She says the current team is playing 鈥渢he most exciting brand of rugby鈥� she has witnessed in many years. She loves the speed with which they play and their unpredictability.

鈥淭hey鈥檝e outplayed every opposition they鈥檝e faced, and Saturday is going to come down to the grittiness, pushing harder than the opposition on the field, another metre more, another ounce of throwing your body in front of the opposition,鈥� Russell said.

鈥淭here鈥檚 such a small margin at the top in terms of skill level and individual performance, and it really comes down to how much more are you willing to push your body through to get the upper hand.鈥�

The most important win for the former players has been the growth of the game. They are thrilled to be watching the matches live on TSN, rather than through some grainy webcast. They are happy to see younger generations聽setting their sights on becoming pro players. And they would like to see more financial support for the grassroots programs.

鈥淚t鈥檚 been out there that the girls have had to crowdfund and look for financial support in many different avenues to get where they are, and I鈥檝e seen that through my career,” Russell said. “Going forward, hopefully that changes.

鈥淭hese are professional athletes that are, from dawn to dust, eating, breathing and thinking rugby to get the best out of their bodies. These are hardworking individuals that deserve to be supported in their endeavours.鈥�

Because this might be the biggest game ever. Not just for the Canadian women鈥檚 rugby team, which is up against England in the World Cup final here on Saturday at 11 a.m. ET, but for international women鈥檚 rugby, period. The 82,000 fans on hand at a sold-out Allianz Stadium will set a record.

And if going up against the No. 1-ranked team in the world isn鈥檛 enough of a challenge in Canada鈥檚 pursuit of its first World Cup, nearly all those fans will be cheering for England. For the players down on the pitch, it might feel like an entire nation is cheering against them 鈥� hence the importance of practising with headphones.

This is a David-versus-Goliath matchup, only David has a few more feet on him and a weapon more imposing than a sling. Because while Canada is the underdog, it has teeth.

The team is ranked second in the world and has made everything look easy in the tournament so far. Canada went undefeated in pool play, then crushed Australia in the quarterfinal, then smashed New Zealand 鈥� champion in six of the last seven World Cups 鈥� in the semifinal.

The squad is unbeaten in its last 12 matches. Its last loss came against England.

England hasn鈥檛 won the championship since 2014, but has won practically everything in between 鈥� including 32 consecutive matches and 62 of its last 63 games. Canada, with the crowd and the noise and the opposition and the history, is facing an uphill battle.

Of course, there will be some Canadian fans in the crowd. In the streets of Twickenham, the London district that will host Saturday鈥檚 final, the few Canadians were easy to spot 鈥� wearing red, sometimes plaid, almost always a maple leaf. Dallas Price checked all three boxes.

Years ago, Price coached Asia Hogan-Rochester at Central Technical School in Toronto鈥檚 Harbord Village neighbourhood. The team struggled to fill a full roster. It didn鈥檛 even have proper warm-up shirts.

And Hogan-Rochester, 17 at the time, had never even picked up a rugby ball. Nine years later, with a rugby sevens silver medal from the Paris Olympics to her name, she is starting for Canada in Saturday鈥檚 game.

鈥淪he has been by far the hardest-working player I鈥檝e ever coached,鈥� said Price, who now lives in England and had lots of 海角社区官网friends make the trip over to watch the match. 鈥淪he fought for it.鈥�

In that way, Hogan-Rochester鈥檚 tale is the story of this Canadian squad. The team had to crowdfund nearly a third of the budget for its World Cup campaign, raising nearly $1 million through donations and a campaign titled Mission: Win Rugby World Cup 2025.

It has taken the players this far. There鈥檚 one more game to win.

England has no secrets to keep from Canada. They are a 鈥渉ighly structured team,鈥� Uxbridge second-row forward Tyson Beukeboom has said, and Canada 鈥渒nows how to play against them.鈥�

It helps that much of the team has played with or against English players in Premiership Women鈥檚 Rugby.

“They know us and we know them,鈥� starter Alysha Corrigan said Friday. 鈥淚t definitely helps that we鈥檝e played against each other every week for the last year. You know the tendencies of certain players, but they also know your tendencies.

鈥淚t鈥檚 fun to have friends on their side.”

In their most recent meetings, Canada has shown signs of improvement. The last time they played England, the Canadians led with 13 minutes left on the clock. Ultimately, Canada lost.

There were lessons learned, though. They鈥檒l have to pay off on Saturday. After all, it might be the biggest game they ever play.