SOPHIE DE GOEDE is talking about her mum, Steph, and the history she made as the first woman to captain Canada at a Rugby World Cup, in Wales in 1991, and then how she did it again in 1994 in Scotland.
Now she’s talking about her dad, Hans, who was the first man to captain Canada at a World Cup, in 1987 in New Zealand, and how he had stayed in the national team for 13 years.
“You might say I lucked out on the gene pool,” says the 23-year-old No 8 who, guess what, is about to captain her country at the World Cup. Mother, father and daughter all leaders of their nation on the biggest stage. The de Goedes are not just a rugby dynasty, they are a living and breathing trivia question.
A big, forceful ball-carrier with goalkicking prowess that dates back to her days as a fly-half, de Goede has presence, not just in what she does on the rugby
