"A goal-kicker, try-scorer and breakdown menace, the 26-year-old is one of the main cogs in the Canadian machine. Of course Kevin Rouet's side has other stars, such as the captain, Alex Tessier, and the scrum-half Justine Pelletier, who was unstoppable in their semi-final win against the defending champions, New Zealand, and they allow De Goede the freedom to fly. But she remains the heartbeat and is the one England must stop if they are to lift the trophy at Twickenham."
"Her rugby prowess isn't surprising when you consider rugby runs in her blood. Both her parents were captains for Canada; her mother, Stephanie, led the country at the first two editions of the Women's Rugby World Cup and her father, Hans, did so at the 1987 men's competition. Her own hard work and attention to detail plays a huge part too, and it has seen her nominated for World Rugby player of the year, alongside England's Meg Jones and New Zealand's Jorja Miller."
Sophie de Goede is a versatile, formidable leader central to Canada's attempt to upset England in the Rugby World Cup final. Eleven years earlier she watched Canada lose to England in Paris; now 82,000 fans await the rematch at Twickenham. De Goede is a goal-kicker, try-scorer and breakdown menace who has scored three tries, a penalty and 20 conversions for 58 points, has five turnovers, completed 65 of 70 tackles and leads the tournament with 11 offloads. Both parents captained Canada, and her dedication and attention to detail earned a World Rugby player of the year nomination.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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