New BrunswickNew Brunswick rugby fans are bursting with anticipation for the Women’s Rugby World Cup final between England and Canada on Saturday.Women’s squad includes 2 ‘big, front-row players’ from New Brunswick Jennifer Sweet · CBC News · Posted: Sep 25, 2025 4:10 PM EDT | Last Updated: September 25Canadian players celebrate their victory over New Zealand, which secured their spot in the Rugby World Cup finals. (David Rogers/Getty Images)New Brunswick rugby fans are bursting with anticipation for the Women’s Rugby World Cup final between England and Canada on Saturday.The Canadian squad includes two players from the province — 34-year-old Olivia Demerchant, whose hometown is Woodstock, and 25-year-old Maya Montiel of Dieppe.”It’s a massive deal,” said Alison Aiton, a coach and player at the Fredericton Loyalists Rugby Club, where Demerchant has played for both the men’s and women’s A teams. “We’re so excited.”We’ve been watching their games the whole way through and they just seem to be building momentum and getting better and better.”We’re really rooting for those Canadian women to pull through and hopefully win their first ever World Cup.”Team Canada member and Woodstock native Olivia Demerchant, left, with Alison Aiton, Vic Sim and Beau Greenwood-Gardner after a match in Ottawa. (Submitted by Alison Aiton)Demerchant and Montiel are both “big, front-row players,” said Aiton.They’re the type of players who do a lot of the hitting — the “workhorses,” she explained, always in the thick of scrums and rucks, where groups of opposing players tussle for possession of the ball.Demerchant, who lives in Halifax and works as a firefighter, has been listed as a substitute on the roster for Saturday’s game, which means she will likely get some playing time, Aiton said.Montiel, who has been living and playing in England with the Saracens FC, is a reserve player for Saturday’s final, but may move into the lineup if someone else is injured, she said.Injuries are pretty common in rugby, said Montiel’s mother, Sylvie Vienneau-Gaudet, who has seen her daughter get more than a few.”I remember one time … she was holding her nose and she said, ‘My nose hurts. Is it red?’ And … her nose was on the other side of her face.” Despite stitches, black eyes and busted-up knees, “she just kept going,” said Vienneau-Gaudet. “And today she’s where she’s at.”Maya Montiel, left, of Dieppe is a member of Team Canada’s rugby squad. (Rugby World Cup/Facebook)Montiel has been laser-focused on getting to the World Cup since high school, Vienneau-Gaudet said, training hard, going to the gym every day before school, skipping parties and watching her nutrition.She started her athletic career as a synchronized swimmer, but a coach at Mathieu Martin high school persuaded Montiel to give rugby a try, and she was hooked after the second practice, said her mom.Vienneau-Gaudet said it’s a dream come true for her daughter to be on the team with some of her former idols, including Karen Paquin.”Watching how resilient she is and passionate and dedicated, it’s just been amazing,” she said.The team had to crowdfund $1 million of their $3.6-million budget for training camps and travel costs, she said. “I’m so proud of this team,” said Vienneau-Gaudet. “They’re making history right now.”The Canadian women have never placed better than sixth in a rugby World Cup. After last Friday’s upset win over the dynastic team from New Zealand, Canadian team members spent the week resting, recovering, fuelling and training, Vienneau-Gaudet said, and are “ready to bring home the gold.”They’re set to play in a sold-out stadium that holds 82,000 fans, said Aiton.”This is really going to help grow the sport … everywhere,” she said.Members of the Loyalists Rugby Club at their first practice of this season. (Submitted by Alison Aiton)Rugby may be rough and a little complicated for newbies, said Aiton, but some devotees, including her, love its physicality. A lot of effort goes into making it as safe as humanly possible, she said.For example, new high-tech mouth guards are being used at the World Cup, which flash after a player has taken a serious impact, so they can be assessed for possible head injury.Clubs, including the Loyalists, teach safe techniques from an early age, she said, and also run flag and touch programs that have no tackling at all. Hundreds of young players will be on the field on Cityview Avenue in Fredericton Saturday morning before the big game, said Aiton.It will be screened at noon in the club house, she said, as well as in other local pubs including Dolan’s and the Lunar Rogue.ABOUT THE AUTHORJennifer Sweet has been telling the stories of New Brunswickers for over 20 years. She is originally from Bathurst, got her journalism degree from Carleton University and is based in Fredericton. She can be reached at 451-4176 or jennifer.sweet@cbc.ca.With files from Information Morning Fredericton and Moncton
Rugby fans in New Brunswick ecstatic as Team Canada tries for World Cup
