Saracens’ Sophie de Goede, Canada’s World Player of the year, also went away after the World Cup final, travelling to Portugal with three international team-mates.
“We just kind of tuned out of everything, but when I got back to London and turned my phone back on, there was this big flood of messages, showing the excitement about the whole of the World Cup,” she said.
“So, I feel a big mix of things, pride at how well the tournament went but also devastation and disappointment and frustration at how we played in the final. It is a funny feeling holding both those emotions at the same time.
“We have four more years of fuel now though, so lots to look forward to.”
De Goede says that PWR was key to Canada’s run to the final and future hopes.
She was one of five Saracens players in Canada’s World Cup final squad, with another six of their matchday 23 also playing in the English top flight.
Saracens coach Alex Austerberry was part of Canada’s backroom staff during their World Cup campaign as well.
“PWR is a strong league globally and we want to be able to play in the preeminent leagues and to continue to get better and learn winning habits,” said De Goede.
“We needed to learn how to win big, tight games when there are lots of fans in the stadium.”
De Goede says the level of fan interest has been “helpful” in upping the quality of rugby, both individually for players and as a team.
“Hopefully we’ve helped the PWR continue to grow and get stronger as a league and put out a better product on the field,” she added.
In the wake of lifting the World Cup, England coach John Mitchell stressed that the league had to provide a conveyor belt of talent for the Red Roses.
“I love seeing 100 English girls playing in PWR, I would love to see more play because then I can have the opportunity to select more,” he said.
“The league is a great competition because we are playing against other world-class players, but we have to be mindful that we are still growing our English players.”
Clubs are required to have an average of 13 England-qualified players in their 23-strong matchday squads.
However, De Goede has been joined by other global superstars in the league this summer, with Ireland back row Aoife Wafer moving to Harlequins, Canada’s Laetitia Royer coming to Saracens, Scotland wing Rhona Lloyd signing for Sale and New Zealand duo Alana Borland and Georgia Ponsonby linking up with Trailfinders.
Loughborough Lightning captain and England back row Daisy Hibbert-Jones made her PWR debut as a teenager for Firwood Waterloo.
She believes overseas stars have elevated the standard of the league and also lifted the age profile of the English prospects who appear in it.
“The international players make our league really exciting, they bring a different brand of rugby and new faces,” she said.
“I think the rules around English-qualified players mean you have to invest in your pathway and young players otherwise there is no longevity for a team.
“Previously people may have made their debuts younger, but that doesn’t happen so much now with how professional the league has become.”
