Brazil and Canada aim to bow out on a high

Teams prepare for final Group A encounter in Leeds

8 Nov 2022

Brazil and Canada aim to bow out on a high

Teams prepare for final Group A encounter in Leeds

By Megan Armitage

Brazil head coach Paul Grundy believes that their Canada clash will be a fresh opportunity for his team to showcase the depths of their talent.

With only one try in two games, the Amazonas have struggled to find form in their first-ever World Cup but will now face a similarly winless Canada side in their final match.

Captain Maria Graf (pictured) and Tatiane Fernandes were missing for their recent 70-0 defeat to Papua New Guinea, meaning none of the side in Hull had played a full international prior to this week.

And Grundy hopes that their return against Canada will stoke a fire and help raise his team to their best performance of the tournament.

“We’ve certainly got things to build on for Canada," he said.

“We had to cope with the loss of three halves against Papua New Guinea which isn’t easy and Maria’s return against Canada will have a big impact.

“I don’t think we did enough the other night to show what we’re all about.

“But tomorrow is another day, Canada is a big opportunity for us. We’ve got some things to fix, but if we can get our line sorted we can definitely be more competitive.

“The girls will want to end this tournament on a high, from our coaching staff point of view we just want them to follow the instructions and see where it takes them.

“But they want to show the world they can play good rugby league football at the highest level. They are certainly more capable of doing that than they showed against Papua New Guinea.”

Canada head coach Mike Castle knows that his team can challenge against Brazil but has taken a humble approach to his team's final battle.

The Ravens qualified for the semi-finals in 2017 but will face the South Americans as a final game this time round, knocked out of semi-final contention by England and Papua New Guinea.

But Castle has urged his players not to underestimate their final opposition, believing that Brazil will prove a tough challenge.

He said: "I think it'll be a really good game.

"Hopefully, we can finish on a high but I'm not going to go in too confident.

"I think we have got to go in and expect a big battle with them. They're going to get better each game.

"They were pretty solid at times in their first game against England and they got a good try.

"So they've got talent and they can move the ball so we have just got to match them and be prepared for a big game and not go into the game expecting to win."

The Rugby League World Cup promises to be the biggest, best and most inclusive event in the sport’s 127-year history with men’s, women’s and wheelchair teams competing in 61 games across 21 venues throughout England. Tickets are available via rlwc2021.com/tickets

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