Lizzie Gibson remembers exactly where she was when Canada played at the 2025 Women’s Championship Rugby World Cup the final. In a pub in Kingston, Ontario with his Queen’s University teammates and their families.
That afternoon, the Gaels defeated the Western Mustangs 80-3 at Nixon Field. Gibson scored 20 points.
Seven months later, Gibson made her Test debut for Canada against the Black Ferns in the Pacific Four series, following a stint in New Zealand where she studied at the University of Otago, played for the Alhambra Broncos and trained with The Farah Palmer Cup side of the Otago spirit.
Her first two appearances, vs New Zealand and USA The female eagles had only 31 minutes on the field. By the time it is WXV Global Series in September, Gibson was installed as the starter. So far this fall, she has scored four tries and played 54 minutes against the Red Roses as Canada ended the world champions’ 41-match unbeaten streak in Toronto.
“I’ve basically wanted to make this team since I started playing rugby,” Gibson told RugbyPass. “After a few years I realized that this could be a practical goal.
“I grew up super-athletic. I played hockey and soccer my whole life. In high school, you were only allowed to play one sport per season, so I played a total of three. I tried to fill each season with something. By the end of 12th grade, I was playing five sports – rowing in the morning, rugby in the evening, weeks, soccer and hockey.
“I decided to move to New Zealand in January to do an exchange program for school, but also to play rugby and do something different. I wasn’t eligible for university rugby (she had already played U Sports for five years), and I knew I wanted to keep playing and doing something different.
“It was a bit scary because I wasn’t going to be playing provincial rugby (in Canada), which I knew Kévin (Rouet, Canada’s head coach) would be looking at for selection. I knew I needed something different for my development as a player.
“It was definitely the best thing for me. Then I got the call sometime in March to do the Pacific Four (Series). I was so excited. I really didn’t expect it. I was with my girlfriend in New Zealand when it happened, and we both cried on the computer. Then I told my mom, and she cried.”
At Queen’s, Gibson has already established herself as an outstanding talent. During her five years with the Gaels, she was a standout player and record scorer in the U Sports competition, with 571 points.
She also leads the competition in conversions, with 179. Yes, Canada has another forward who can shoot. Gibson even owns one of Sophie de Goede’s custom batting shirts, courtesy of World Rugby’s 2025 Women’s 15s selection.
Call De Goede, Laetitia Royer and the rest of the Canadian team her teammates still have to get used to Gibson. Her performances also earned her an opening role ahead of well-known options such as Fabiola Forteza and Pamphinette Buisa.
“2026 was the year that pinched me,” Gibson said. “If you had told me last year that I would be sitting here with six games and starting every game at WXV, I wouldn’t have wanted to believe you. I was in such a different place.
“I was in college, I spent all my time watching this team play in the World Cup and yelling at my TV screen. This group is so special, and I think everyone will see that in the Crave documentary (ALL HEART: RUGBY STORY). They have such a special bond. You see it on TV when you watch them play.
“To be a part of that is unreal – to play with this team and make my dreams come true is incredible. But to be a part of this group is a moment in itself. I’ve just never been in a team that feels that kind of support.”
Gibson has been named to start her fifth straight game in the WXV Global Series as Canada prepares to host the Red Roses at TD Place in Ottawa.
The hosts will look like the better side England for the second consecutive time, the first time since the 2013 Nations Cup in Colorado. Head coach Kévin Rouet has made several changes to his squad, including Shoshanah Seumanutafa starting at inside center just a week after her match-winning performance against England.
Taylor Perry returns to the halves, while Gabrielle Senft joins Gibson and Julia Omokhuale in the back row. Friday’s game will decide the best-of-three series between the two nations, which tied in September before Canada’s last timeout win.
John Mitchell’s England have also made a few changes to their starting XV. Ellie Kildunne moves to the bench and Emma Sing takes her place, while Claudia Moloney-MacDonald drops out of the team in favor of Mia Venner. Sadia Kabeya starts in the back row alongside Abi Burton and Maddie Feaunati.
England will have another WXV Global Series match against the USA next week. For Canada, however, this is their final game of 2026. The final home game offers the North Americans a chance to end the year on a high as preparations for the 2029 Women’s Rugby World Cup cycle begin to accelerate.
It will also give Gibson another opportunity to stamp his authority on the international game. Whether through her work in ball handling or in defence, she has made a lasting impression on Test rugby this year and has developed rapidly in the process.
“I didn’t even sign up for the list Australia The Pacific Four game,” Gibson said. “To go from that to where I am now, I just wasn’t playing my best rugby at the time. I think part of it was being so new to the environment. You want to perform. Your mind wants to do things that your body can’t always keep up with.
“Whether I’m coming off the bench or starting, (it) means a lot. It means a lot that the coach trusts me and the team trusts me to do my job. My role has evolved because I have more time on the court and more confidence that I can do the things that the team and the coach need to do.”
