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Canada picks Women’s Rugby World Cup squad

Canada picks Women’s Rugby World Cup squad
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Canada picks Women’s Rugby World Cup squad

Canada coach Francois Ratier has selected a veteran roster for the Women’s Rugby World Cup next month in Ireland, with 18 players returning from the team that finished runner-up at the 2014 tournament.

The 28-woman squad is the exact same as the one Ratier took to New Zealand last month for International Women’s Rugby Series.

“There is no surprise … I didn’t have any real reason to change it,” Ratier said of his roster.

“Those are the best players we have right now,” he added.

Ratier has worked with essentially the same player pool since the last World Cup, when Canada lost 21-9 to England in the final. The squad was augmented by the return of captain Kelly Russell, Elissa Alarie, Karen Paquin and Magali Harvey from the sevens program after the Rio Olympics.

Canada, ranked third in the world, is in Pool A with No. 2 New Zealand, No. 10 Wales and No. 23 Hong Kong at the 12-country World Cup.