RC ANNOUNCES NSWT FOR RWC '25

Today we have managed to catch up with Julia Schell following her two successful starts at #15 for the NSWT in South Africa.  For the uninformed, Julia was consistently turning in quality performances in club rugby with CW Premier women as recently as 2023!

(“CW had some incredible combinations of players on the day. Olivia Apps at 9 and Julia Schell at 10, always expertly commanding the field and looking up on attack,” Vs Capilanos, 2022. “For the Tricolours, Julia Schell was once again, simply outstanding.”  Finally, an interview in 2022. https://cwrugby.com/blogs/post/mondays-musings1662434496)
She has now carved a career for herself in the professional game. She is consistently starting for the National team at fullback and looks to be a good bet to retain that honour going into the World Cup next month.

 
CW: Julia, your rise has been meteoric, and we congratulate you. To what do you attribute your successes?

JS: Thank you so much, that means a lot! I think the biggest change came for me when I moved overseas to play in the PWR. Being in a daily training environment and playing rugby full-time was what I needed to fully commit. Just as important as the physical side of things, I also have taken my mental performance more seriously in the last few years, which has allowed me to be a better player. The work is not done, and I look forward to more seasons overseas to keep growing my game.

CW: What is your current situation regarding your pro club and prognosticate for us your future with pro rugby.

JS: I’m super excited to have signed on for another season with Ealing Trailfinders. Being with the club from day 1 has allowed me to see so much growth and improvement, not only on field but off it as well. We have a world class staff who value the people as much as they value the rugby and I’m lucky to get to spend my time around the likes of them. About the future, good question! In this world it’s hard to plan for more than a year or two at a time, with new opportunities popping up often. For now, all my focus lies on the next couple months to try and bring a World Cup home to Canada.

CW: Next up is the RWC in England. Could we be daring enough to ask you to offer your thoughts on Canada’s possible outcomes?

JS: We’re going in with one goal in mind, to win the World Cup. We have everything that we need within us to do so, and I could not be prouder to go into battle with this group.

CW: We are proud of the fact that you recognise your time with our club and its role in your development. What have been some of the major differences between club and pro rugby?

JS: Absolutely! I loved my time at CW. The major difference to me is being able to solely focus on rugby. As an international, I don’t have the ability to do any work outside of rugby - so my days revolve around my club schedule. When I was living in Victoria, I had to squeeze in training and practices around my work schedule, so that’s been a nice change of pace. A lot of the English players, though, live similar lifestyles - it’s not a fully professional league, so quite a few girls still work all day and then come to training in the afternoon. I hope we see a day soon that can support the league going fully professional so everyone can be on the same playing field.

Thank you for your time and best wishes for your future in rugby, Julia.


                                              TEAM CANADA

 
Julia is one of seven who have worn the Tricolor jersey and who have been selected to play in the RWC. We give you, Sophie “Miracle Worker” deGoede who spent some ten years playing Minis and Age Grade with the club.  Sophie was joined by Caroline Crossley during her Age Grade years.  Others who have played with CW are Gabby Senft, Olivia DeMerchant, and Olivia Apps.  Finally, we recognise Karen Paquin.  Karen was a CW warrior for a couple of seasons, coming west from her native Quebec.  Recently, I came across a Facebook post on RugbyPass, (publicly posted by ‘hakunmako’), from an article written by Joe Harvey.  We reprint the text in full here. We believe it is extremely insightful into the woman and her passion for her country, teammates, and desire to bring home the Cup.





"Karen Paquin wasn’t supposed to be here—not again, not at 37. She had already lived the dream and the heartbreak, stood on Olympic podiums and World Cup sidelines, tasted the highs that come with representing your country, and the solitude that follows when the jersey comes off. She had walked away once, choosing peace over pressure, choosing to teach rather than tackle. Yet something—some ember deep within her—refused to flicker out.

It didn’t start with a grand revelation. It was quiet. A moment in the stands, watching Canada’s pack thunder forward in the Pacific Four Series. Watching their joy, their precision, their hunger. And Paquin felt it, unmistakable and unshakable: she missed it. Not the glory or the grind, but the feeling. The in-the-bones knowing that you are exactly where you belong, in the chaos and collision of it all.

So, she called the coach. Just to talk. No promises, no declarations. But Kevin Rouet listened. And Karen listened to herself too.

The world she stepped back into wasn’t the same. The Canadian women had evolved, become faster, bolder, unafraid to play with instinct and abandon. Even with her vast experience, Paquin found herself learning again, figuring out this daring brand of rugby not by the playbook, but by feel. The kind of rugby where you trust your gut, hit the ruck like it’s the last of your life, and back your teammate before she’s even made her cut. For some, that’s terrifying. For Karen, it was home.

But rust clings to even the finest steel. At WXV 1, she got just 15 minutes against Ireland. It was messy, raw, unfamiliar. But it was also enough. Enough to remind her of the rhythm, of how pressure hums in your chest and sharpens your vision. Enough to know she wasn’t done. Not by a long shot.

What followed in the Pacific Four Series was no swan song. It was a roar. Paquin didn’t play like someone tiptoeing around a comeback. She played like a hammer. Fifty-six tackles, thirty-eight carries, seventy-nine rucks. And those aren’t just numbers. That’s someone putting her body on the line for every blade of turf, someone proving that love for the game doesn't dull with age—it deepens.

And through it all, there was no whisper of regret. No second-guessing. Just grit, joy, and the unshakable knowledge that this wasn’t a farewell tour. It was unfinished business.

There’s a reason Canada believes now, the same way they did in 2014 when Paquin and a fearless squad charged all the way to the final before falling to England’s brilliance. The jersey looks the same, but this team? This team plays its own song now. No more mimicking others. They’re setting the tempo, forcing the world to dance to their tune. Even Karen chuckles when she admits—teams are starting to copy *them* now.

And what a strange, full-circle thing it is to still be standing here. To be one of only a few who remember Paris, remember what it felt like to fall just short. A decade later, that wound has become a beacon. They don’t just want redemption. They *expect* it.

Paquin knows nothing is guaranteed—not her spot, not the fairytale ending. But she also knows this: if she boards that plane to England, it won’t be for one last run. It will be for a shot at glory that’s eluded Canada for too long. And if they do it—if they bring the trophy home—it won’t just be a win for a team. It’ll be a seismic shift for every little girl picking up a rugby ball in a field somewhere in Quebec, believing for the first time that this sport, this life, can be hers too."

(Ed. Brilliant writing, Joe!)

So, we end. Alex Tessier will captain the team and it is with CW’s heartiest congratulations to all the players, and our very best wishes for your success in England. Go, you beauties!

PS. A reminder that should you wish to support this amateur rugby venture; donations can be made HERE.