Canada have spent the first fortnight of the Women’s Rugby World Cup largely under the radar, but the number two team in the world rankings have already shown they can make a strong bid for the title.
Canada play their last Pool B match on Saturday against Scotland at Exeter’s Sandy Park, looking to round off the group phase with a dominant showing and confirm their status as one of the tournament favourites.
Most of the spotlight since the start of the tournament has fallen on hosts England, whose dominant record since the last World Cup has made them overwhelming favourites, and the bid by New Zealand to retain their crown.
In contrast, Canada have kept a low profile since opening the tournament with a 65-7 win over Fiji in York and then seeing off Wales last weekend 42-0 at the Salford Community Stadium.
Such was their superiority that they outscored the Welsh 6-0 in tries, yet were not satisfied with the overall showing, feeling they could have done better.
Coach Kevin Rouet said he had spent this week "refining" the handling errors that saw Canada frustratingly turn over possession regularly throughout the game.
“Now it is up to us to get the third (win), we are working to be a very angry opponent because we know who we could face if we lose this game. Both teams will really want to win this game,” Rouet said about preparations for their clash with the Scots, who have also already booked a quarter-final place.
This is likely to be Canada’s toughest test yet as they look to secure top place in the pool and avoid a quarter-final clash with England.
"We are not really concerned about the narratives that exist outside of us,” loosehead prop McKinley Hunt, who plays in England for Saracens, told reporters.
"Yes, we’ve ticked a box now,” she said of quarter-final qualification, "but at the end of the day, we are not thinking much beyond Scotland. We control our own destiny, so we are focusing on what we can control, fixing the small errors that we have made and using them as a stepping stone."