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Pacific Four rugby: USA face Canada in championship decider

Muhammad Asghar | GlobalBeat

The Pacific Four Series title comes down to one match as the United States women’s rugby team meets Canada on Saturday with both sides unbeaten through three rounds.

Canada sits top on 14 points. The Americans have 13. A draw at the home of Vancouver Rugby Club gives the trophy to the hosts.

This year’s tournament doubled as World Cup qualifying. Both finalists secured spots for the 2027 tournament in Australia regardless of today’s result.

Kick-off is 6 p.m. local time before a sell-out crowd of 5,000 at the Canadian west-coast ground. Officials expect another 250,000 viewers on RugbyPass TV, the sport’s free streaming platform that replaced paywall coverage last autumn.

Canada coach Kévin Rouet named an unchanged pack after last weekend’s 38-10 win over Australia. Captain Sophie de Goede will earn her 50th cap at number eight.

The Americans made one switch. Fly-half Gabby Cantorna returns from a minor ankle complaint, pushing Megan Foster to the bench. Captain Kate Zackary keeps her place on the blind-side despite taking a knock against New Zealand seven days ago.

“Physically we feel fresh,” Zackary told reporters after Friday’s captain’s run. “The group understands what a win would mean for rugby back home.”

World Rugby moved the Pacific Four to a single-site format this season to cut travel costs for smaller unions. New Zealand and Australia exited title contention after heavy losses in round three and will meet earlier on the card to decide third place.

Television figures have climbed each week. Round one drew 92,000 streams. Round two hit 156,000. Last Saturday’s double-header topped 200,000 as free access attracted casual fans.

The United States has never lifted the four-team trophy since the competition launched in 2021. Canada won the inaugural edition then finished second to New Zealand in 2022 and 2023.

Canada enters as marginal favourite with bookmakers at 8-13 odds. The U.S. is priced at 13-8 after winning the most recent meeting 17-16 last November in Los Angeles.

Neither side has conceded more than 16 points in any match this season. Canada’s points difference of plus-74 is the best in the competition, largely thanks to a 66-0 rout of Australia.

Rouet rejected talk of playing for a draw. “You don’t beat the U.S. by sitting deep and defending your line for 80 minutes,” he told a mid-week briefing. “We want to attack from the start.”

American coach Rob Cain stuck with twin playmakers, keeping Cantorna at first-five and Alev Kelter inside centre. The pair combined for 41 of the team’s 76 points so far.

Kelter needs 8 points to equal the competition scoring record of 49 set by New Zealand’s Ruahei Demant two years ago. The utility back brushed aside the milestone. “Records fade. Trophies stay in the cabinet,” she said.

World Rugby confirmed extra time if scores are level after 80 minutes. The protocol mirrors last year’s men’s Championship, with 10 minutes each way followed by a place-kicking shoot-out if still deadlocked.

Background

The Pacific Four replaced the previous Oceania and Americas qualifying events after COVID-19 shrunk budgets. World Rugby wanted fewer, higher-quality matches for its tier-one unions ahead of each World Cup.

Canada and the U.S. dominated the women’s game in North America through the 1990s but slipped as professional contracts in New Zealand, England and France lured top talent. The tournament offers guaranteed tests each June plus centralised broadcast revenue.

USA Rugby still operates on an annual budget below $14 million, a fraction of the $64 million New Zealand Rugby spends on its women’s programme. Free streaming on RugbyPass TV has opened a new frontier for American sponsorships led by tea-maker Harney & Sons and equipment brand Rhino.

What’s Next

The winner receives $150,000 in prize money and an automatic place at next year’s WXV invitational against England, France and New Zealand in September. World Rugby will confirm host cities for that event in November.