RWC2025 | Head coach Kevin Rouet, Caroline Crossley and Justine Pelletier speak ahead of Canada's Rugby World Cup 2025 semi-final

Head coach Kevin Rouet, Caroline Crossley (pictured) and Justine Pelletier speak ahead of Canada's Rugby World Cup 2025 semi-final against New Zealand at Ashton Gate Stadium on Friday.

Kevin Rouet, head coach

On whether Canada and New Zealand are quite similar:
"Both teams are fun to watch play: fast, unpredictable, athletic people. So it’s not exactly the same, but both teams want to play positive rugby. I like those kinds of teams, I like the way we play, I like the way New Zealand play, so I think it will be a good game. I’m excited for tomorrow."

On the team's improvement over the last three years:
"I said to the girls: the past three years, we can be proud of being consistent and that’s something hard for us to achieve. We are not number one, we are number two but that’s good. We are here to win but no one can remove what we have done over the past three years, no matter the end of this adventure." 

On remaining consistent and confident:
"We’ve scored a lot of points in this World Cup and we’re here to win, so we’re just going to go up with a lot of confidence. No one is unbeatable and we’re here to showcase our rugby."

Caroline Crossley

On how experience playing in sevens helps with playing on such a big stage:
"It helps with those big-pressure games, like we’ve been in those moments and we’ve played in front of those crowds with that pressure. So it gives us experience of doing that. But also, we’ve been playing with the one-squad mentality without our 15s and sevens for two or three years now. Both bring elements of the game to the other side."

On facing the haka:
"For me personally, I’m just thinking about that first play and we try to play one game at a time. Obviously, we want to respect the haka and what they do, but we’re also focusing on that first kick-off."

On if they prefer an early or of evening kick-off:
"I prefer a later kick-off. I like to not have rushed mornings and have a calm day before the pressure begins. It’s better visibility for those in Canada as well."

Justine Pelletier

On how winning will empower women’s rugby in Canada:
"The work is almost already done, our exposure is great. Right now, people in Canada are very excited about this World Cup. I’ve never seen Canada as excited as that for a rugby tournament. But we want more, we always want more and we’re going to reach for it. We deserve that. We deserve that visibility."

On facing the haka:
"I love the haka, I love it. It’s very powerful and I just take it, for me it’s free energy. I take it as a booster for myself and it’s a good way to start the game. If we respond, I guess I’ll smile?"

On how they will prepare the night before the match:
"We will keep our same mindset of a chilled night. I’m going to play cards, I’m going to go to bed early and watch a movie maybe. Nothing overly different."