The Maple Leafs face one of the more exotic run-ins to the World Cup.
Kévin Rouet has named 38 players to train for a tour to South Africa; only 32 will fly out.
The squad:
Forwards
Alysia Comtois, Brittany Kassil, Caroline Crossley, Cassandra Tuffnail, Courtney O’Donnell, DaLeaka Menin, Emily Tuttosi, Fabiola Forteza, Gabrielle Senft, Gillian Boag, Holly Phillips, Julia Omokhuale, Karen Paquin, Laetitia Royer, McKinley Hunt, Mikiela Nelson, Olivia DeMerchant, Pamphinette Buisa, Rachel Smith, Rori Wood, Sophie de Goede, Tyson Beukeboom
(22)
Backs
Alexandra Tessier, Alysha Corrigan, Asia Hogan-Rochester, Carissa Norsten, Claire Gallagher, Fancy Bermudez, Florence Symonds, Julia Schell, Justine Pelletier, Krissy Scurfield, Madison Grant, Mahalia Robinson, Olivia Apps, Paige Farries, Shoshanah Seumanutafa, Taylor Perry
(16)
Once preparations are over, he will settle on a squad of 32, as required by RWC regulations, but that still gives discarded players the chance to take a seat on the plane to England.
Outlook
This is a desperately strong outfit. As of mid-June, they look perfectly capable of going a long way through the coming dramas. Their three pool-stage opponents at thr RWC are Fiji, Wales and Scotland. I would not call that a Group of Death for them.
Good news involves the return from injury of Madison Grant, Paige Farries, Pamphinette Buisa and especially Sophie de Goede, once the undoubted captain of the team and still only 25.
Assuming the whole group reports fit as they meet at the airport, Rouet is going to be faced with the problem that all head coaches are supposed to enjoy: knowing who to pick from a panoply of talent.
Only one name is new to the group, Carissa Norsten, who happens to be a silver-medallist from Paris and last year’s SVNS Rookie of the Year – another transfer from 7s whose progress will be fascinating to watch.
First, the effort
The training sessions will last a week (20-27 June), taking place in Perth. But this is Perth, Ontario.
They come after a well-earned break from the latest Pacific Four tournament, where they beat Australia and the USA and had that heart-stopping draw with the Black Ferns, 27-27. They would have much preferred victory there, but holding the world champions in their own back yard strengthened their self-belief.
The squad’s club affiliations work out as follows: one from New Zealand (Shoshanah Seumanutafa); three in the French Elite 1 (Fabiola Forteza, Justine Pelletier and Laetitia Royer, all Québécoises, of course); nineteen at PWR clubs (until the end of last season, at least); and fifteen home grown.
To my mind, those 15 are part of the reason why the Maple Leafs are such a force on the world stage. They don’t rely heavily on overseas clubs providing the coaching for them.
The road ahead
Their objective could not be clearer: they intend winning the tenth RWC. To that end they established a fund-raising campaign, reduced to five letters: MWRWC – a Mission to Win the World Cup. For that they need dollars; they’re aiming for $1m of them.
The choice of opposition is extremely interesting. In the men’s game it would be an embarrassment for the Canadians; for the women the reverse is the case. They should walk both matches. The question is then: what benefit do Rouet and his management team see in playing the Boks (currently ranked 12th)? They may be all-conquering in African tournaments, but the second-ranked Canadians present a quite different class of opposition.
Once again I wonder if both managements might think it worthwhile adding further fixtures or sessions to the programme.
The tour dates:
First test:
5 July, Loftus Versfeld Stadium, Pretoria
Second test:
12 July, Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Gqeberha (formerly Port Elizabeth).
That will leave them seven weeks to recover before facing English weather.
