Kevin Rouet: ‘Winning wasn't necessarily the main objective’

Canada had never beaten New Zealand. The Black Ferns had been unbeaten in 17 meetings since the first Women’s Rugby World Cup on 6 April 1991. Their most recent victory was a crushing 52-21 defeat in Ottawa in July 2023.

That year, Canada had struggled to climb out of a black hole after three straight defeats to England. But the players rallied around coach Kevin Rouet and turned things around, culminating in a 22-19 victory in Christchurch on 19 May 2024. As a result, the Black Ferns have replaced their rivals for second place in the World Rugby rankings.

How did you feel during the match?

“A bit stressed... The conditions were good, but the pitch was a bit slippery and there were a lot of handling errors from both teams at the start. We managed to be in the game at half-time despite a first half that perhaps wasn't our best. But we stayed in it and had a good 25 minutes in the second half. After that, when you feel you can win, it's better. We defended a lot in the last 20 minutes but I liked the team. What we lacked was the ability to defend against big teams in big sequences."

Do you feel that this historic victory has unlocked a door in the team?

“It's important for us. It was the first time Canada had beaten New Zealand, which had never happened before. Psychologically, it's important. France had beaten New Zealand, but we'd never beaten them, so it's important for the girls. I think we were well prepared for the game. We had a good three-week tour. We had a pretty solid squad with a lot of experience and that's good. It was important in the big moments."

What has changed in Canada's game since last year?

“We're trying a lot more things. We lost to England three times last year. I think we put too much pressure on ourselves to win. And then we changed our strategy, taking it one game at a time. We're making progress, we're trying to grow this team, build momentum so that when it comes down to it, we don't question ourselves. We need to be calm and composed and I think we did that. There were some good things in terms of match management."

Does this mean that winning wasn't necessarily the main objective?

“Exactly, that's what we told ourselves the day before the game. We told ourselves that of course, we wanted to win, but that above all we had to try things, that we shouldn't be afraid to play against New Zealand because otherwise we wouldn't be able to. Of course, you always want to win, but in this case, we didn't want to win at all costs. It was more about learning to play together, growing together and I think that allowed us to play a little more relaxed."

A win like that means you can look forward to the WXV in Canada with confidence...

“I love it: we're going to play England, France, and Ireland, so it's going to be another great run of matches. We'll probably play one or two warm-up games against some good teams too. It's true that when you come out of a competition and you win it, you've got a tight group and you're in a good frame of mind. We need to get that spirit back in September. It's created a good synergy within the group."

When you knocked France out of third place in the world rankings, did you think you could go higher the following week?

“I knew if we beat Australia by more than 15 points we'd be third, but I hadn't checked if we could overtake New Zealand. I thought they were too far away. I hadn't been given the information and I only found out after the game. It's cool, but we know it probably won't last. New Zealand play Australia soon and I think if they win they'll be back in the top spot.

"It's great for the girls' morale. It's always great to say you're ranked second in the world, but you know it's fleeting and you can drop back to third very quickly. You're obviously in a better position when you're second than when you're fourth. They're nice marks, but you know they don't necessarily last very long."

That's a lot of progress in one year...

“Our goal is to compete against the top nations. We beat France last year and now we're up against Australia, who are starting to develop. It was a very good performance because we dominated for 80 minutes, even if the score wasn't that big. And to beat New Zealand, who we've never beaten before, is very, very positive for the group."

What was the mood like in the squad after the game, that evening and the next morning?

"At the same time as the win, Tyson Beukeboom became the most-capped player (68 caps, editor's note), so there was a little ceremony and little gifts around her. It was all about Tyson, then I congratulated them, and the staff and players went their separate ways. We made the most of it, but everything closes early in New Zealand, it's not like France! Everything closes at midnight and things move very, very quickly. And in the morning, we had a little team activity when everyone was up at ten am. I imagine the night was a bit short."

What's the schedule like leading up to the WXV?

"It's going to be a bit like all the teams, end of August - beginning of September. We were just waiting to find out if we were going to play in WXV 1 or WXV 2; it's always difficult to organise matches. At the moment we're talking to a number of teams about playing some friendly matches before the competition. It could be in Europe or right here in Vancouver, Canada. Possibly one match in Europe and one against a team coming to Vancouver earlier."

Captain Sophie de Goede recently switched from XV to Sevens in preparation for the Olympics. A bit like Antoine Dupont in France...

"We've had a bit more movement between Sevens and XV. The number nine [Olivia Apps] and the number six [Pamphinette Buisa] are potential Olympians. My starting nine, for example, is the captain of the Sevens team. We've really been thinking about this transfer for the last two years. Even two and a half months before the Olympics we're moving players between XV and Sevens, we're talking to each other... We have a really good working relationship.

"In fact, Sophie has only recently started playing Sevens again. She doesn't have the same role in XV as she does in Sevens at the moment, but I think it's good for her development. Canadian women often dream of the Olympics before the World Cup. That's always been the case, we're a North American country. It's part of our culture."