Island star continues doing it all for Canada rugby

Sophie de Goede of Victoria continued doing it all in rugby by captaining Canada to a 33-14 victory over Australia on Saturday in the 2024 Pacific Four Series women’s tournament in Sydney.

The versatile de Goede, who commands the pitch from her central No. 8 position, also has a strong leg and kicked four conversions in Sydney after scoring two tries and 18 total points in the 50-7 tournament opening win over the U.S. last week in Carson, California.

This summer in sevens rugby, the Oak Bay Secondary graduate will be key to ball possession and unloading to the fleet-footed wings as No. 5 Canada will have eyes for the podium in the Paris Olympic Games.

De Goede also provides the same sort of base stability in the middle in XVs, which allows the build-up needed for the backfield players to thrive, as they did Saturday in Sydney.

“Our backs played well today, too,” de Goede said in a statement. One hand washes the other in rugby. “[The backs] set up the forwards in areas of the pitch to go ahead and score. It was a full team effort today,” said de Goede.

Sara Cline and McKinley Hunt scored two tries each for Canada, which is ranked world No. 3 in XVs.

“If you give our forwards space around the breakdown, they are going to take it,” Canadian head coach Kevin Rouet said in a statement.

“I am very proud of our maul and scrumming ability in Canada. It is important for us to showcase that against any of our opponents. I am very happy with how our whole team played today.”

The undeniable leader of the Canadian team is de Goede, who is to Canadian women’s rugby what Hayley Wickenheiser and Christine Sinclair were for hockey and soccer, respectively, and Kia Nurse is to basketball.

De Goede’s skills have been both learned and inherited. Dad Hans de Goede came out of Vic High and James Bay Athletic Association to twice be named to the all-world XV and captained Canada in the first men’s World Cup in 1987, and is a Canadian rugby legend.

Mom Stephanie White was captain in the first-ever Canadian women’s Test match in 1987, played in Victoria against the U.S., and was Canada co-captain in the 1991 World Cup and captain in the 1994 World Cup. Their daughter is carrying on the tradition on pitches across the world, from Sydney on Saturday to Paris this summer.

Canada concludes the Pacific Four Series next Saturday in Christchurch against New Zealand in a Test that will decide the championship.