WXV: ‘We are expecting Canada to come out firing’

Another win in the bag and a game with no tries from the forwards… that is unheard of from the Red Roses!

It was a fast and physical game with some quality rugby. You could hear the thuds of the tackles as well as the heavy breathing from both sides who gave their all.

My role this week was different coming off the bench. In previous weeks we have been challenged to come off the bench and make an impact. It’s about bringing new energy and fresh legs on and finishing the game strong.

We were really happy with our performance. As always there are things to work on, but we managed to put nearly 50 points on the World Champions so we should be proud of that. Before leaving the ground we usually gather with the coaches in the changing room and do a few special shoutouts and have a sing-song.

Normally it’s a team song that Mo came up with at WXV last year, but for some reason, someone started singing Jar of Hearts and all of a sudden we were all singing a sad song in unison. It was the most bizarre moment but something we will smile about and won’t forget for a long time!

On our rest day, I headed up to Grouse Mountain to see the grizzly bears as it was the one activity I hadn’t completed off my list for this tour. The bears were incredible - the size of their paws and claws were bigger than I expected.

They were strolling around the enclosure eating carrots, playing in the water and then sleeping - if only life was that simple! At times you wish they weren’t on that mountain in an enclosure, however, the story behind why they are there and how it has helped orphaned bear cubs since is fascinating.

With a six-day turnaround our week looks slightly different with one hybrid session made up of both our physical and fast day. This is to make sure that we peak at our optimal performance level on Saturday and have had enough time to physically and mentally recover.

From an outsider's perspective, I can imagine some individuals might think that we could be underprepared only training once, however, we trust the systems we have in place and the knowledge of our staff. It’s been a long tour and we know exactly how we want Saturday to pan out, so we are all very much focused on that.

We are expecting Canada to come out firing. Having a home tournament is special and their previous results have put them in good stead for this game. They are an athletic team and have grown as a squad in the last few years.

They have an influx of sevens players returning as well as a lot of players now representing in the PWR league in England whom we know very well. It’ll be interesting to see how they want to play against us… whether they will try and bully through the centre field or feel they can take the edge.

The only way to find out is by tuning in on Saturday on BBC iPlayer for kick-off at 3 am!