Going into their semifinal match against the New Zealand Black Ferns in the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup, it would be easy to count out the Canadians.
After all, in facing New Zealand, Canada was going up against the two-time defending champions, the six-time World Cup winner and the team that, on their own website, proclaims themselves to be the “most dominant team in the history of the women’s game.” Since 1998, there has only been one-time New Zealand didn’t win the World Cup, when Ireland upset them to knock them out early in 2014. If Canada faltered here, nobody would blame them.
They didn’t. In a spectacular team performance, Canada’s national women’s rugby team upset the Black Ferns, taking a commanding 24–7 lead at half before finishing it off with a 34–19 victory. While Canada would eventually earn silver, falling short after a tough battle against the host team, England, this was still an impressive run. By making it to the finals, Canada matched their best result in Rugby World Cup history, tying the 2014 national team, the first group of Canadians to make it to the final.
This talented team — likely the strongest ever assembled in Canada — was made up of the best rugby players in Canada, from coast-to-coast. Among those players were two current Thunderbirds.
Included on Canada’s final World Cup roster, back Florence Symonds and forward Rachel Smith took a leave from UBC for the first month of the year to play internationally. For these players, taking part in elite-level rugby on one of the biggest stages was a dream come true.
For Smith, her nomination to the national stage happened recently. After working hard to prove herself at senior camps for the past few years, she finally took the field for the Canadian national team in the Pacific Four series, starting the opening game against the United States in May.
While this was a huge achievement, for Smith, the World Cup still didn’t seem likely. After all, this first game took place only a few months before the tournament, and with her being so new, Smith did not think she would be able to get on the roster. But she wasn’t going to let that stop her from trying.
Soon after, Smith was selected for the South Africa tour — a set of exhibition matches to prepare the team for the World Cup — working hard throughout the tour to prove herself and solidify a spot on the senior team.
“It just seemed like everything was falling into place, and I really had nothing to lose at that point,” said Smith. “I was just giving it my all at those tournaments and hoping to make the team, because it was a dream of mine.”
That dream came true. In July, she found out she made the World Cup team, getting to travel to England to compete against some of the most elite women’s rugby players in the world.
“It was the best feeling ever,” said Smith. “Trying to make a World Cup [was] what I work[ed] for every day.”
And she wouldn’t be alone. Symonds, Smith’s UBC teammate, became her national teammate, also being selected to play in the World Cup. For Symonds, however, this isn’t her first international outing, having proven herself as a silver medallist with Canada’s sevens team at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Yet, while she’s represented Canada before, this was her first time doing so on the 15s team. Symonds started as a sevens player, only recently starting to play 15s as well. Her transition between the two was facilitated by a new mentality developed by Rugby Canada — allowing sevens and 15s athletes play and compete in both programs. This allows them to have a strong core group representing Rugby Canada as a whole — which Symonds is a part of.
“Coming into the 15s program after being away for so long, it was amazing, because all the players … they’re all so empowering,” said Symonds. “They just basically want you to come on the field and play rugby and they back whatever you want to do on the field.”
It was the best feeling ever. Trying to make a World Cup [was] what I work[ed] for every day.”
Over their two-month run for glory, Canada played six games in total, with three pool play games, a quarterfinal, a semifinal and of course, the elusive finals match. It was a long journey — but having a tight-knit group that was working toward their goal of making it to the finals kept them going, enjoying every second.
“You’re just travelling the world with your best friends for two months ... The off-field part is just so much fun,” said Rachel. “On [the] field, we’re just training for a collective goal every day. It feels really cool to be a part of something that big.”
“Reflecting back at the experience as a whole, it’s really positive. I’m really lucky to have experienced that,” said Symonds. “I think most of that just comes from the positivity with the team and the team culture.”
That culture permeated throughout the entire team, not just the starters. Although Smith only played in one game — Canada’s first pool play game against Fiji — she continued to support the team in whatever way she could. In training and on the bench, Smith still had a big impact on the team, supporting the incredibly stacked roster. Symonds, on the other hand, played in every game at the World Cup — supporting the team directly on the field, even scoring a try in their semifinal match against New Zealand.
“That was really fun to be able to open the World Cup,” said Smith. “The excitement is the highest, and so much anticipation, and you can’t believe it finally started. That was a really cool game for me.”
Despite being ranked second in the world before coming into the tournament, Canada was somewhat counted out in the media — often viewed as an “underdog story.” Whether this was because of recent history, with Canada having not placed higher than fourth in the World Cup (other than 2014), or a simple assumption that they couldn’t compete with traditional rugby powerhouses, for those actually on the team, these narratives meant little.
“Maybe we were perceived from the outside as underdogs, but I think as a team, we really didn’t feel that way,” said Symonds. “We really knew that we had one option, and that was to just be us and to play our game. When we were able to do that, we were able to really perform and come out at the top.”
“We took what we could from the narrative to make it a positive for us, and then we didn’t really worry about the rest,” said Smith.
Nowhere was this clearer than their statement win over New Zealand. While, for some, this outcome may have been shocking, the team did not share this surprise. They had one goal in this tournament — that was to win. No matter what, they knew they were more than capable of doing just that.
Maybe we were perceived from the outside as underdogs, but I think as a team, we really didn't feel that way,"
“From inside the team, and if you were in the team environment, you really saw that we expected nothing less than to win,” said Smith.
“We just wanted to prove ourselves so badly,” said Symonds. “We just wanted to do what we do every day, which is wake up and play rugby — play our style and play our Canadian way.”
While Symonds and Smith may have been unproven on the international level, for those who saw them play at UBC, they are anything but. Both players were a part of the 2024 T-Birds team that won the national championship — UBC’s first — with Smith also taking home additional hardware as the Canada West Player of the Year.
Their experience at UBC helped prepare them for what’s next, in terms of their time at the World Cup, but also through learning skills they can apply both in rugby and life.
“I think it all translates, and it definitely helps prepare you. I think that my experience at UBC also taught me a lot of organizational skills,” said Symonds. “Once you do get into the national program, it’s all very similar, apart from maybe the level of rugby.”
For Smith, having the ability to pursue her rugby dreams while also setting up a career for herself is something special, as she will be graduating at the end of this year, hoping to become an occupational therapist.
“I definitely would not be where I am today without UBC,” said Smith. “I think [with] the performance I had last year in the competition and at Canada West and Nationals, [I] really made a statement for myself and put my foot in the door more for the national team.
Smith and Symonds both joined the national team at an unprecedented moment for rugby in Canada. The sport as a whole has been growing immensely in the last few years, and the success of the women’s team at the National level — both with the World Cup and the Olympic silver medal in sevens — has highlighted this.
But while Canada has started to carve out a place in the Rugby world, the resources behind the program are still lagging behind. Going into the World Cup, the team had to crowdsource their funds to even compete. Because Rugby Canada is a smaller union, they could not provide the Canadian women with enough money to be able to play at the highest level of competition.
Fortunately for them, Canadians came through. Raising nearly one million dollars, the team was able to gather enough funds to support their overseas journey.
I really hope that young girls, young boys, everyone watching in the stands or on their screens could see us on the field, and that they could feel themselves being represented in one way or another."
“We really did feel all the love and support from back home,” said Symonds.
“I think it just shows how amazing the group of girls and staff is that we were able to make what we did out of that,” said Smith.
As rugby in Canada continues to grow, both Symonds and Smith hope that their successful run at the World Cup helps to motivate and push the continued success of the sport.
“Because rugby is such a diverse sport and anyone can play, I think it’s a really good sport to invest in for Canada as a whole, and we can get so many amazing girls playing the sport,” said Smith. “We have a huge opportunity to make more faces of women’s sports in Canada.”
Through the sport’s increasing popularity, it’s not just about gathering funds and building a financial system of support — for Symonds and Smith, they hope to inspire future generations of women’s rugby fans and players, fostering love for the sport countrywide.
“We are seeing it as a growing sport, which is something that’s so special and amazing,” said Symonds. “I really hope that young girls, young boys, everyone watching in the stands or on their screens could see us on the field, and that they could feel themselves being represented in one way or another.”
Rugby isn’t just growing at the national level either — this support and growth of rugby in Canada can be seen at a lower level as well. Recently, UBC hosted the U Sports Women’s Rugby Championship, and across five days, many fans came out all week to watch some incredible rugby with the best university players across Canada, including those still at UBC.
Symonds, although not playing with the team, was there to cheer them on every step of the way.
“Being able to see all these younger girls and all these athletes kind of step up and play in a really high quality competition at nationals is really special for me,” she said.
Smith, on the other hand, rejoined the Thunderbirds after being away for most of the season to help compete for the title.
“I’ve been with UBC for like seven years now, so it definitely feels like coming back home and I’m just excited to have fun,” said Smith. “I’m trying to support the team as much as I can and provide the best performances that I can to benefit the team … whether it’s being a leader on the team or being a leader on the field.”
With this being her last year, Smith is looking to help her team cross the finish line and once again be the team to hold the trophy at the end — this time in their own backyard.
“Our goal is definitely to win nationals at home,” said Smith. “That would be an absolute dream come true, and a fairy tale ending to my career at UBC.”
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