Investing in women's rugby crucial to Canadian squad's future, coach and captain say

Canada's fourth-place finish at the Women's Rugby World Cup in November came with a question.

How long can Canada's amateur program compete with countries like New Zealand, England and France that provide their women with central contracts?

The Canadians pushed top-ranked England to the limit before falling 26-19 in the World Cup semifinal. Host New Zealand then edged the Red Roses 34-31 in the final at Auckland's Eden Park while France blanked Canada 36-0 in the bronze-medal game.

"I think we're at a really important crossroads here where the professionalism of women's rugby is taking off," Canada captain Sophie de Goede, a finalist for World Rugby's Women's 15s player of the year, said immediately after the France match.

"If we can invest in women's rugby, in North American rugby, we can truly be powerhouses in the game," she added.

Canada coach Kevin Rouet, while saying Rugby Canada was 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.

This week may shed some light on what lies ahead.

On Tuesday in Los Angeles, Rugby Canada is presenting its high-performance plans to World Rugby with a special focus on the women's program.

"For us to go forward, we're going to need some help," said Rugby Canada CEO Nathan Bombrys.

The Canadian women are currently ranked fourth in the world behind No. 1 England, No. 2 New Zealand and No. 3 France.

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

In the seven tournaments that followed, they never made it out of the pool stage with a combined