Canadian women open play at Rugby World Cup with high hopes of going all the way

Hopes are high as Canada opens play Saturday against Fiji at the Rugby World Cup in England. And nowhere higher than in the Canadian camp.

The sky's the limit for the second-ranked Canadian women, according to veteran flanker Karen Paquin.

"Definitely. I think we have an opportunity to do something that's never been done... There's a belief in this team that we can do something, we can maybe win the World Cup," said Paquin in her fourth trip to the tournament.

Under coach Kevin Rouet, the Canadians boast a powerful forward pack good at set pieces and able to punish opponents with a fierce driving maul. The backs are pacey and physical.

Rouet has depth in his squad, with a strong, experienced bench.

The Canadian women finished fourth at the last World Cup, in 2022 in New Zealand, after giving England a scare before falling 26-19 in the semifinal. Veteran prop DaLeaka Menin believes the team's self-belief back then was tinged with surprise.

Not this time.

"The team has grown a lot in confidence and also in expectation," said Menin, who is playing in her third World Cup. "We want to do well. We want to make it to that final game... So going into this World Cup I'm just so excited for the potential we have and that confidence that is exuded from the team."

Canada arrives as a serious contender, with one big question-mark.

"We know we can compete. We know we can beat the best teams," said captain Alex Tessier. "The only team we haven't beat yet in a long time is England."

While Canada has pushed England in recent games, it has lost 13 straight to the Red Roses since a 52-17 win in July 2016.

Are the two teams on a collision course to the final? "Hopefully," said Paquin.

Of Canada's five losses since the last World Cup, four