Rugby Canada’s last preparation game before Women’s World Cup

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Rugby Canada's last preparation game in their training session on August 16, 2022

PREVIEW – Rugby Canada’s last preparation game will take place on Saturday in Halifax, Nova Scotia. They will be facing Wales, which is ranked ninth in the world. Both teams will give each other a good test before the real games begin in New Zealand.

Rugby Canada’s last preparation game at Wanderers Grounds

The home game for Rugby Canada

Rugby Canada’s last preparation game will be shown live on TSN. This is what Rugby Canada head coach, Kevin Rouet, said about the game according to Rugby Canada:

“The players, coaches and support staff are all looking forward to this camp, and next Saturday’s test match against Wales,” said Rouet, who will name his match day roster for the game next week. “As we continue to work towards the Rugby World Cup, our time on the training pitches is extremely valuable, as is playing against top-class opposition. We plan to make the most of our time together over the next ten days as we refine our plans and preparations for New Zealand, both on and off the field.”

In the last game against Italy, Rugby Canada showed why they were the fourth-ranked team in the world. They suffocated Italy on attack and on defence. They were quite good from set-pieces and it was a big reason why they won the game. It was not a complete game though, as they invited Italy Rugby in the game with two defensive mistakes. Those mistakes could be the difference between a good and a bad Rugby World Cup result in New Zealand this year.

Wales Rugby

Wales has not played a competitive game since April 2022. They won their first two Six Nations games against Ireland and Scotland. However, when facing tougher opposition, the team struggled as they lost three-straight Six Nations. Ironically, like Rugby Canada, Wales’s last game was against Italy, who they narrowly lost to 10-8.

Ioan Cunningham is the head coach of the Welsh women’s rugby team. This is what Cunningham said about the game according to Welsh Rugby of BBC:

“We’ve told the group that we want them to be known as one of the fittest teams around, which means they have to work hard every day, ” said Cunningham. “We don’t want anyone to outwork us.”

The last time Wales faced Canada, they took a 7-0 lead into half-time. However, Rugby Canada scored 24 points to win the game 24-7 in Cardiff, Wales.

There is also a lot of confidence in the Welsh team. This is what Welsh fly-half, Robyn Wilkins, said about the team in the video of the same Welsh Rugby of BBC article:

“I think now, leading more to a rugby block, girls being part-time, there’s no reason why this can’t be our most successful World Cup we had or one that I have been involved in, for sure.”

The most successful World Cup for the Welsh was back in 1994 when they made the third-place playoff. That was the only time that Wales finished in the top four of the Rugby World Cup (women’s).

Rugby Canada’s last preparation game at Wanderers Grounds

Rugby Canada is currently ranked fourth in the world. Their best performance was in the 2014 Rugby World Cup, where they were runners-up to England. In their last World Cup, they finished fifth in Ireland. This is while Wales finished seventh in the last Rugby World Cup.

Before 2021, the last time these two teams met was in 2017. In both games in 2017, Rugby Canada won both games on August 13 and 22. Then, in the August 13 game they won 15-0 and on August 22, won 52-0.

In terms of their Rugby World Cup record, both teams are 1-1-1 all-time against each other. Rugby Canada defeated Wales in the last Rugby World Cup. This is while Wales defeated Canada in the 1994 Rugby World Cup while both teams drew against each other in the inaugural 1991 Rugby World Cup.

Wanderers Grounds: The Future for Rugby Union and Rugby League

Wanderers Grounds, home of the Canadian Premier League’s HFX Wanderers FC might become a permanent stadium according to Paul Hollingsworth an Atlantic Reporter of CTV News:

“I think realistically, we could have space for 10,000 people here,” said Martin, who added it would be roughly the same size as the Scotiabank Centre. “There’s a reason why the Scotiabank Centre works so well because it’s the right size for our city.”

If this happens, Wanderers Grounds will have a bright future for Rugby Canada and possibly Canada Rugby League. Wanderers Grounds will become one of the must-haves for hosting Rugby Canada games. Furthermore, and this is purely speculative, it could mean investors wanting a pro rugby union team and/or a pro rugby league team in the future. Most likely, it could happen in rugby league because of the CCCRL (Canada Co-Operative Championship Rugby League).

Time of the game this weekend

Rugby Canada will play against Wales at 4:00 p.m. ET. The game will be televised nationally live on TSN on Saturday in Nova Scotia’s capital city. This is while in Wales, the game will be shown exclusively on S4C according to Welsh Rugby Union. The coverage will begin at 8:45 p.m. BST and the game will kick off at 9:00 p.m. BST. Wales will have another game after this one on September 14 against England before the Rugby World Cup begins.

Canada will be seen as the favourites, as Rugby Canada’s only loss in their last four games was against the Black Ferns in the Pacific Four Series.

Photo Credit: Rugby Canada on August 16, 2022.

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