It’s an all-North American clash in Ottawa on Friday night as Canada hosts the USA just three weeks out from the start of the World Cup. The Eagles have been flying under the radar with four straight defeats before finally grabbing a win over Fiji at Audi Field two weeks ago. Meanwhile the Maple Leafs are unbeaten in 2025, with a draw against defending world champions New Zealand in Christchurch the only match that didn’t quite tip their way.
Current World Ranking: 2 (89.77 points)
2025-07-12 – South Africa 5, Canada 33 (Port Elizabeth)
2025-07-05 – South Africa 20, Canada 50 (Pretoria)
2025-05-23 – Australia 7, Canada 45 (Brisbane)
2025-05-17 – New Zealand 27, Canada 27 (Christchurch)
2025-05-02 – USA 14, Canada 26 (Kansas City)
Current World Ranking: 10 (72.05 points)
2025-07-20 – USA 31, Fiji 24 (Washington DC)
2025-05-24 – New Zealand 79, USA 14 (Auckland)
2025-05-17 – Australia 27, USA 19 (Canberra)
2025-05-02 – USA 14, Canada 26 (Kansas City)
2025-04-27 – USA 33, Japan 39 (Los Angeles)
 |
IN | OUT |
| 1 | McKinley Hunt | Brittany Kassil |
| 3 | DaLeaka Menin | Olivia DeMerchant |
| 4 | Sophie de Goede | Laetitia Royer |
| 7 | Fabiola Forteza | Pamphinette Buisa |
| 9 | Olivia Apps | Justine Pelletier |
| 11 | Paige Farries | Carissa Norsten |
| 12 | Alex Tessier | Maddy Grant |
| 13 | Florence Symonds | Shoshanah Seumanutafa |
| 14 | Fancy Bermudez | Krissy Scurfield |
|
IN | OUT |
| 7 | Georgie Perris-Redding | Tahlia Brody |
| 8 | Freda Tafuna | Rachel Johnson |
| 9 | Cassidy Bargell | Olivia Ortiz |
| 11 | Lotte Sharp | Erica Coulibaly |
| 14 | Cheta Emba | Emily Henrich |
- Canada have dominated recent matches between the two sides, with 10 straight victories over the USA dating back to 2019… the last Eagles win was at Chula Vista in July of that year
- former captain Sophie de Goede continues her return to action from a knee injury with her first start of the year, and will play at second row instead of her usual back row spot… winger Paige Farries is also back after a long absence, handed her first test appearance of 2025
- this will be Canada’s last test on home soil before departing for England, but will have one final tune-up for the World Cup when they take on Ireland in Belfast on August 9
- for the USA this is the only test left before their clash against the Red Roses in the tournament opener at Sunderland on August 22
Kévin Rouet (Head Coach)
“The team is very excited to play at home here in Ottawa. Playing in front of Canadian fans is always a special experience for the players and I think this will give us a lot of momentum heading into the World Cup. It has been a short week of preparation, but the team has looked sharp in practice and we will be ready to perform on Friday in front of the Canadian crowd.”
Sione Fukofuka (Head Coach)
“We have spent the past three weeks at the Mount preparing. First with the Fiji Test and now turning our focus on Canada. The players and staff have taken this time to zero in on our detail, work hard at our collisions and prepare to take the opportunities we are confident we will create against Canada. The team’s energy has been great since we assembled for the Pre-World Cup Camp. The players came in knowing they’d have to work hard to earn their position on the Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 Squad, but that’s the only first step.”
Ideal conditions await in Ottawa which will allow both sides to deliver their best in what is shaping up to be a big crowd at TD Place. The Eagles boast a star-studded backline with the midfield pairing of Alev Kelter and Ilona Maher an obvious threat. Up front, however, there’s no doubt the Maple Leafs have the edge and their strength in depth stands up against the best in the world. Look for the Canucks to lay down a marker ahead of their World Cup challenge. Canada are clear favorites in Ottawa.
CANADA
1 McKinley Hunt, 2 Gillian Boag, 3 DaLeaka Menin, 4 Sophie de Goede, 5 Tyson Beukeboom, 6 Karen Paquin, 7 Fabiola Forteza, 8 Gabrielle Senft, 9 Olivia Apps, 10 Claire Gallagher, 11 Paige Farries, 12 Alex Tessier (capt.), 13 Florence Symonds, 14 Fancy Bermudez, 15 Julia Schell
Replacements: 16 Taylor McKnight, 17 Mikiela Nelson, 18 Olivia DeMerchant, 19 Courtney O’Donnell, 20 Pamphinette Buisa, 21 Justine Pelletier, 22 Shoshanah Seumanutafa, 23 Caroline Crossley
USA
1 Hope Rogers, 2 Kathryn Treder, 3 Keia Mae Sagapolu, 4 Hallie Taufo’ou, 5 Erica Jarrell, 6 Kate Zackary (capt.), 7 Georgie Perris-Redding, 8 Freda Tafuna, 9 Cassidy Bargell, 10 McKenzie Hawkins, 11 Lotte Sharp, 12 Alev Kelter, 13 Ilona Maher, 14 Cheta Emba, 15 Bulou Mataitoga
Replacements: 16 Paige Stathopoulos, 17 Maya Learned, 18 Alivia Leatherman, 19 Rachel Ehrecke, 20 Tahlia Brody, 21 Olivia Ortiz, 22 Emily Henrich, 23 Sariah Ibarra
Date: Friday, August 1
Venue: TD Place Stadium, Ottawa
Kickoff: 19:00 local (16:00 Pacific)
Weather Forecast: sunny, 72°F (22°C), wind N 7-11mph (12-18km/h)
Broadcasts: Paramount+ (USA), TSN 5 (Canada), RugbyPass TV
Referee: Ella Goldsmith (Australia)
Assistants: Kat Roche (USA) & Amelia Luciano (USA)
TMO: Chris Assmus (Canada)
HEAD-TO-HEAD (44): Canada 28, USA 16
2025-05-02 – USA 14, Canada 26 (Kansas City)
2024-04-28 – USA 7, Canada 50 (Carson)
2023-04-01 – Canada 50, USA 17 (Madrid)
2022-10-30 – Canada 32, USA 11 (Auckland)
2022-10-23 – Canada 29, USA 14 (Auckland)
2022-06-05 – Canada 36, USA 5 (Tauranga)
2021-11-05 – USA 13, Canada 26 (Glendale)
2021-11-01 – USA 9, Canada 15 (Glendale)
2019-11-24 – USA 27, Canada 54 (Chula Vista)
2019-11-20 – USA 0, Canada 19 (Chula Vista)
2019-07-10 – USA 20, Canada 18 (Chula Vista)
