CANADA LOCKS IN MATCH DAY SQUAD FOR SEMI-FINAL BATTLE AGAINST NEW ZEALAND AT RUGBY WORLD CUP

September 17, 2025 (Bristol, England) – With a place in the Rugby World Cup final on the line, Head Coach of Canada’s Women’s Rugby Team, Kevin Rouet, has announced Canada’s match day roster for their semi-final clash against the New Zealand Black Ferns. The game will take place on Friday, September 19, at 11:00 a.m. PT / 2:00 p.m. ET (7:00 p.m. local time in England) at Ashton Gate Stadium in Bristol. 

In their last two encounters, Canada has defeated and drawn with the Black Ferns who are the defending Rugby World Cup champions. In 2024, Canada earned a historic 22–19 victory over New Zealand to win the Pacific Four Series. Earlier this year in Christchurch, the Black Ferns scored a last-minute try to draw level with Canada, ranked second in the world, at 27-27. Despite a late go-ahead try from Shoshanah Seumanutafa in the 76th minute, a missed conversion by New Zealand attack saw the match end in a draw. 

“We have shown over the past two years that we are one of the best teams in the world, and our last two results against New Zealand support that,” said Rouet. “We have every reason to believe that we can win this game. On Friday, we take another step toward the ultimate goal we have been building toward over our first four games and the last three years. It will be a short week of preparation, but the team will be ready.” 

Canada’s lineup remains unchanged from the 23-player roster that delivered a 46–5 quarter-final victory over Australia last weekend.  

As a team, Canada has outscored their opponents 193-31 in four games at the Rugby World Cup. They lead the tournament in carries with 622 and sit second overall in offloads with 66 on their way to scoring 30 tries so far. 

Defensively, Karen Paquin—set to earn her 50th cap for Canada this weekend—leads the team with 57 tackles. DaLeaka Menin, currently third on the team in tackles with 41, will earn her 68th cap, moving her into second place on Canada’s all-time cap list for women. 

On attack, Canada will once again be led by Sophie de Goede, Julia Schell, Asia Hogan-Rochester and Alysha Corrigan.  

Schell, who made headlines with six tries in Canada’s opening match—setting a record for the fastest hat-trick in Rugby World Cup history—is tied for the team lead in meters carried (287). Hogan-Rochester, with two tries in three games, shares that honor and Corrigan has recorded four tries so far in the competition and has carried for 198 meters. De Goede is currently third overall in tournament scoring with 44 points (two tries and 17 conversions). 

WHERE TO WATCH   
Canada’s Rugby World Cup semi-final match against New Zealand on September 19 will kick off at 11:00am PST / 2:00pm EST (7:00pm local time in England) and will be available on TSN. All of Canada’s games at the Rugby World Cup will be broadcast live, along with bonus coverage of select non-Canada matches throughout the tournament. The broadcast schedule is available here. 

CANADA’S WOMEN’S RUGBY TEAM MATCH DAY ROSTER VS NEW ZEALAND  
1. McKinley Hunt (King City, ON) – Aurora Barbarians / Saracens (36 caps) 
2. Emily Tuttosi (Souris, MB) - Calgary Hornets / Exeter Chiefs (39 caps) 
3. DaLeaka Menin (Vulcan, AB) – Calgary Hornets / Exeter Chiefs (67 caps) 
4. Sophie de Goede (Victoria, BC) - Castaway Wanderers / Saracens (39 caps) 
5. Courtney O'Donnell (Rimbey, AB) – Red Deer Titans Rugby (51 caps)   
6. Caroline Crossley (Victoria, BC) - Castaway Wanderers (11 caps) 
7. Karen Paquin (Quebec City, QC) - Club de rugby de Quebec (49 caps) 
8. Fabiola Forteza (Quebec City, QC) – Club de rugby de Québec / Stade Bordelais (39 caps) 
9. Justine Pelletier (Rivière-du-Loup, QC) – Club de rugby de Québec / Stade Bordelais (41 caps) 
10. Taylor Perry (Oakville, ON) - Oakville Crusaders / Exeter Chiefs (21 caps) 
11. Asia Hogan-Rochester (Toronto, ON) - Toronto Nomads / Westshore RFC (6 caps)  
12. Alexandra Tessier (Sainte-Clotilde-de-Horton, QC) – Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue RFC / Exeter Chiefs (64 caps) 
13. Florence Symonds (Vancouver, BC) - University of British Columbia (16 caps) 
14. Alysha Corrigan (Charlottetown, PEI) - CRFC / Saracens (24 caps) 
15. Julia Schell (Uxbridge, ON) – Guelph Goats / Castaway Wanderers / Ealing Trailfinders (30 caps) 
 
FINISHERS  
16. Gillian Boag (Calgary, AB) – Capilano RFC (37 caps) 
17. Brittany Kassil (Guelph, ON) – Guelph Goats (51 caps)   
18. Olivia DeMerchant (Mapledale, NB) - Halifax Tars RFC (64 caps)   
19. Tyson Beukeboom (Uxbridge, ON) – Cowichan Piggies / Aurora Barbarians / Ealing Trailfinders (82 caps) 
20. Laetitia Royer (Loretteville, QC) – St-Anne-de-Bellevue / Concordia University / Saracens (20 caps) 
21. Gabrielle Senft (Regina, SK) – Castaway Wanderers / Saracens (38 caps) 
22. Olivia Apps (Lindsay, ON) – Lindsay RFC (23 caps) 
23. Shoshanah Seumanutafa (White Rock, BC) – Counties Manukau (23 caps) 
 
MISSION: WIN RUGBY WORLD CUP   
In March 2025, Rugby Canada officially launched the Mission: Win Rugby World Cup (MWRWC) 2025 fundraising campaign with the goal of raising $1,000,000. Despite rising to the second world ranking, the Canadian women’s rugby team operates on a fractional budget compared to its closest competitors. This $1 million gap was identified to best equip the team with extra resources to help them make history.  
 
The mission is now within reach: over 95% of the fundraising goal has been pledged through generous individual donations and crowd funding. Rugby Canada extends its deep appreciation to all MWRWC supporters. For more information or to donate, visit rugby.ca/donate.