Canadian women at crossroads after 4th place finish at Rugby World Cup

The Canadian women return home from the Rugby World Cup proud but disappointed after a tournament that saw them impress prior to running into a classy French side in the bronze-medal match.

The loss dropped Canada to fourth in the world rankings, with France replacing them at No. 3 behind England and No. 2 New Zealand.

As the lone amateur side to make the final four, the Canadian women now find themselves at a turning point.

"I think we're at a really important crossroads here where the professionalism of women's rugby is taking off," said Canada captain Sophie de Goede, a standout throughout the tournament.

"I think we can be like a flagship program for women's rugby but specifically for North American women's rugby. Us and the [seventh-ranked] U.S. can be really strong. But we don't have the rugby cultures yet and the capabilities within our [rugby] union. I only know about Rugby Canada but if we can invest in women's rugby, in North American rugby, we can truly be powerhouses in the game."

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Canada coach Kevin Rouet, while saying Rugby Canada is doing its best, was blunt about the future.

"If there is investment, we are close to something. But if there is nothing, we are nowhere," said the French-born coach, who now calls Quebec City home.

The Canadian men can serve as a cautionary tale. They made the quarter-finals of the 1991 World Cup, four years before their sport went professional.

Adding insult to injury, the Canadian women missed out on a bonus based on potential top-three World Cup finish.

The French took care of that. They were better in just about every phase, outkicking, outrunning and outhitting the Canadians.

"We didn't show up. We know it," said