New Zealand vs Canada Prediction & Picks - Women's Rugby World Cup

Prediction published on 9/19/25, 10:47 AM  by Tyler Doty | Modified on 9/19/25 at 3:55 PM in Women's Rugby World Cup Picks

This Friday, the Women's Rugby World Cup will feature a highly anticipated semifinal between Canada and New Zealand. Ranked second in the world, the Canadians are approaching this match with confidence bolstered by a remarkable run. In four games, they have scored 193 points and conceded only 31, demonstrating their mastery on both offense and defense. Their quarterfinal against Australia turned into a demonstration (46-5), confirming their status as credible contenders. For this crucial match, the coaching staff has chosen to field the same starting XV. Recent history also favors them: they beat New Zealand for the first time in their history in Christchurch (22-19) less than two years ago, before sharing the points in a spectacular 27-27 draw four months ago. This is Canada's sixth World Cup semifinal, having only reached the final once before, in 2014, when they lost to England.

Opposite them, the Black Ferns bring the experience and aura of reigning double world champions. Ranked third in the world, they qualified for the final four by dominating South Africa (46-17). However, they were held to a 10-10 draw in the first half, before blowing the game wide open with three tries in the first seven minutes of the second half. True to their reputation, they remain capable of accelerating brutally to kill off a game.