Canada’s de Goede living up to family legacy in Women’s Rugby World Cup final

Canada’s national women’s rugby team has a chance to make history on Saturday, but it won’t be easy.

When Canada takes on England in the Women’s Rugby World Cup final on Saturday, Sophie de Goede will carry a family legacy on the pitch.

The Victoria woman is the daughter of two former Canada captains, and has served as captain herself in the past.

Her father Hans led the men’s team in the 1987 tournament, and her mother Stephanie captained the women’s squad at both the 1987 and 1991 world cups.

Canada punched its ticket to this year’s final with a 34-19 win over New Zealand in the semis.

They will play the tournament hosts in a hostile environment on Saturday, at Allianz Stadium in Twickenham.

The home of England’s national rugby teams is sold out – and the expected 82,000 fans will be the largest crowd to ever watch a women’s rugby match in person.

“It’s a balance between trying to focus on your routine and keeping things as normal as possible – and also using some of that energy and soaking it in and trying to use it to your advantage,” de Goede said during a Thursday media availability.

England, the number one ranked team in the world, has won 32 straight matches over the last three years.

Canada is ranked second in the world – and de Goede’s family has a history of leading national teams to upset victories.

In the 1987 men’s tournament, Hans de Goede delivered a rousing halftime speech to his teammates enroute to a 37-4 victory over Tonga.

“Let’s keep it up, 40 minutes to go and everything you’ve got. You’re making history right now!” he said.

It was the men’s team’s first ever World Cup victory.

Prime Minister Mark Carney, in London to meet with his United Kingdom counterparts, will attend the final.

“To see this influx of Canadian media and of Canadians paying attention to the sport into this team is so massive for us,” said de Goede. “And then beyond just the media, we feel from the public at large in terms of the amount of messages that we’re getting.”

She was featured on CTV News in 2016 when she was a two-sport high school star competing in basketball and rugby.

“Just being able to represent my national team like my parents did has been a dream of mine since I was little,” she said at the time. “So, yeah, having an opportunity to wear the maple leaf.”

She’s already done that and more.

If she and her teammates can overcome the pressure and win on Saturday – she’ll secure the crown jewel in her family’s Canadian rugby legacy.