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The Canadian womens rugby team has had more than a few slogans in its time. But this years model is fitting. As One. As in Play as One. "Were a tight group of girls," said captain Kelly Russell, who plays No. 8. "We really treat each other as family and every time weve come together weve got better and better." The Canadian unity and skill gets its first test Friday against Spain as the IRB Womens Rugby World Cup kicks off in France. Canada plays Samoa on Aug. 5 before wrapping up Pool A play against three-time runner-up England on Aug. 13. The Canadian women believe they have the goods to win it all. "Weve done the work. We believe in our systems and we can beat anybody," said Russell. "My job is to make that happen five times in the next 15 days," said coach Francois Ratier. Canadas best result is fourth, achieved in 1998, 2002 and 2006. The team was a disappointing sixth in 2010. The target in France is sky-high. "I really do feel like were going to make some history with this team," said centre Mandy Marchak. New Zealand, however, is the four-time defending champion and remains the team to beat. The Black Ferns beat Canada 16-8 and 33-21 on its June tour. But there were reasons for encouragement. New Zealand led the second game 26-0 before the Canadians rallied, scoring the last 14 points of the match. "We took a lot of experience out of those (games)," said Russell, whose younger sister Laura also plays on the team. "And we showed ourselves that were able to compete with them. We really think next time that theyre beatable." Including the wins over Canada, New Zealand enters the tournament with a 4-0 record in 2014 having outscored its opposition 177-44. The U.S. is the only team to have beaten New Zealand on the Womens World Cup stage and that was back in the 1991 semifinals. The Canada-England match will decide the Pool A winner unless there is a major upset. England has never finished lower than third in the six previous editions of the tournament and won it all in 1994. But the other pool games will also be crucial for Canada. The three pool winners at the 12-team tournament advance to the semifinals, along with the runner-up with the best record. Four years ago, Australia pipped Canada for best runner-up, denying the Canadians a spot in the final four. Both teams finished with 10 points from 2-1-0 records but the Australians had a better point differential (49 points) than Canada (42) thanks to a 62-0 shellacking of South Africa in their final game. The Canadian women went on to finish a disappointing sixth, losing 23-20 to the U.S. in their final qualification match. Marchak still remembers the letdown for that teams talented veterans. "The 2010 team, that was the team to win a World Cup," she said. "I think it stays with me to understand their disappointment, to know how they fell. And now me being a vet, going into this World Cup thinking this is going to be the team to win a World Cup. It reminds me of that very much." Russell and Marchak are joined on this team by other 2010 veterans in Kim Donaldson, Barbara Mervin, Julia Sugawara, Brittany Waters and Julianne Zussman. Russell calls the 2014 squad a hard-working, mobile outfit -- "theres always options," she summed up. Ratier, a former French top division player, took over the Canadian program in March 2013 so has had limited time to forge the team in his identity. Ratier is also based in Quebec, with the sevens players on his team centralized in Victoria along with several others. Still the women speak highly of their coach, saying he is organized and open to ideas. "I like his style of coaching," said Marchak. "Performance is important, but your attitude and what you bring to the daily training is the most important. And its really cool because he focuses most on how you fit into the team and building a team as a whole. That is extremely important, to have everybody on the same page." Added Russell: "Weve really found a comfortable spot where were happy with the systems we have in place. And he does a lot of behind-the-scenes work, getting everything prepared for us. And when we come out on the pitch, its business. So its been good." Ratier says his team is confident in its ability to execute as needed. And he is pleased by the culture of the squad, saying his players have become one. He has emphasized sacrifice and playing for each other while leaving ego at the door. "This team is a band of friends," he said. "They are now able to play for each other, for sure." Canada is 7-5-0 under Ratier with the losses coming to New Zealand (twice), the U.S., England and France. The Black Ferns aside, the Canadian women have avenged those losses. Under Ratier, they are 2-1-0 against the Americans, 2-1-0 against the English and 1-1-0 against France. The rugby world is slowly changing, however, with the introduction of sevens to the Olympics starting in 2016. Sevens programs are getting more funding, with the benefits bleeding into the 15-man game. The Canadian sevens players have been centralized in Victoria for three years now and put their fitness up against anyone in the world. "Definitely our strength," said Marchak. The Canadians arrived in France on July 22 for their pre-tournament camp. The commitment of the Canadian women is shown by the fact that they each paid $1,600 to take part in the tour Down Under. They do not have to pay for the World Cup, with the International Rugby Board helping out. --- Canadas Womens Rugby World Cup Roster: (with club and home town) Elissa Alarie, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue Rugby Club, Trois-Rivieres, Que.; Emily Belchos, Barrie, Ont., Markham Irish RFC; Brittany Benn, Guelph Redcoats, Napanee, Ont.; Stephanie Bernier, Club de Rugby Quebec, Quebec City; Tyson Beukeboom, Aurora Barbarians, Uxbridge, Ont.; Latoya Blackwood, St. Anne de Bellevue, Montreal; Andrea Burk, Capilano RFC, North Vancouver; Olivia DeMerchant, Woodstock Wildmen, Mapledale, N.B.; Kim Donaldson, Burnaby Lake Rugby Club, Toronto; Jessica Dovanne, Velox RFC, Victoria; Magali Harvey, Club de Rugby Quebec, Quebec City; Mary-Jane Kirby, Highland RFC, Brampton, Ont.; Hilary Leith, Capilano RFC, Vancouver; Kayla Mack, Wild Oats RFC, Saskatoon; Mandy Marchak, Capilano RFC, Winnipeg; Barbara Mervin, Velox RFC, Peterborough, Ont.; Jacey Murphy, Aurora Barbarians, Alliston, Ont.; Karen Paquin, Club de Rugby Quebec, Quebec City; Marie-Pier Pinault-Reid, Club de Rugby Quebec, Quebec City; Kelly Russell (capt.), Toronto Nomads, Bolton, Ont.; Laura Russell, Toronto Nomads, Bolton, Ont.; Maria Samson, Calgary Hornets, Calgary; Julia Sugawara, Burnaby Lake RFC, Surrey, B.C.; Amanda Thornborough, Brandon Barbarians RFC, Brandon, Man.; Brittany Waters, Meraloma Athletic Club, Vancouver; Julianne Zussman, Town of Mount Royal RFC, Montreal. Head Coach: Francois Ratier Forwards Coach: Gary Dukelow Backs Coach: Colette McAuley Technical Adviser: John Tait Strength and Conditioning: Steve Mackinnon Jordan Crawford Jersey .com) - The Carolina Hurricanes hope to remain perfect at home in January on Friday night as they welcome the Vancouver Canucks to PNC Arena. Cheap Pelicans Jerseys Authentic . - Considering where Jeff Gordon was after Richmond, left out of the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship in part due to some late-race shenanigans, he couldnt have been happier on Sunday. http://www.cheappelicansjerseys.com/. The 20-year-old Inoue landed a series of combinations and the bout was stopped 2 minutes, 54 seconds into the sixth round. Inoue, the first Japanese boxer to claim a world title in just his sixth professional fight, improved to 6-0 with five knockouts. Solomon Hill Jersey . Ricciardos exclusion from the results tarnished what had been a day of celebration for local fans, who were jubilant that the Red Bull driver had apparently become the first Australian to finish on the podium at his home race. However just before midnight, stewards ruled that Ricciardos car had "exceeded consistently the maximum allowed fuel flow" and that the team refused an instruction from the races technical delegate Charlie Whiting to change the fuel-flow sensor before the race and a further request during the race to reduce the fuel flow. Cheap Pelicans Jerseys China . Knapp defeated American Alison Riske 6-3, 7-5 to secure Italys victory in the best-of-five series. She held a 5-2 lead in the second set, only to let Riske tie it at five.LeBron James reportedly decided to opt out of his contract with the Miami Heat on Tuesday. Heres a few quick thoughts of what this Decision means to me. 1. CONTROL: Hes the best player by far on the planet so its his contractual right to exercise this clause and I agree with him. Old-timers and traditionalists might not like it but its the reality of pro sports in the 21st century. Great actors/actresses set the tone and select what movies/plays they want to perform in and who they want to work with and for and LeBron is at that level in the "sports/entertainment industry" that former NBA commissioner David Stern created with the emphasis on stars over teams. This is a creation of that. Right, wrong or indifferent - it is what it is. Hes negotiated and earned the right to reconsider and re-explore what hed like to do with his career. The man is serious about his game and is a student of the game and wants/needs some space here to evaluate. 2. MIAMI HEAT: We all saw them with our own eyes in the NBA Finals vs. the Spurs. The reality is that the current team as constructed needs major improvements or they wont challenge against the superior Western Conference teams for an NBA title. In addition, if an Eastern team like the Chicago Bulls gets back a healthy Derrick Rose and is able to acquire Kevin Love and/or Carmelo Anthony who is to say that theyre even the No. 1 contender in the East anymore? Do you honestly believe that Dwyane Wade is going to give you 70-75+ regular season games and four playoff rounds at a high level at $20 million per year? Is Chris Bosh still committed to playing in all areas of the game rather than just becoming a jump shooter? If Im LeBron I have my doubts. A few smart tweaks with Wade and Bosh sacrificing some money opens up the possibility of it all working again...yet its far from a sure thing. 3. CLEVELAND CAVALIERS: Owner Dan Gilbert blasted LeBron on the way out the door after "The Decision". Does LeBBron forgive and forget? Does new GM David Griffin have the wherewithal/pedigree to pull off such a heist? He and Kyrie Irving together - not bad.dddddddddddd. They have the No. 1 Pick and some talented young guys they can package to move to Minnesota for Kevin Love. How does Irving, Love and LeBron sound to you? It would be a better Big Three at this point that the Miami version even though both Love and Irving have put up "numbers", yet still havent shown me yet that theyre truly special. What a return this would be. 4. OTHER SUITORS (Chicago, Houston, LA Lakers): Youll hear about all three and more in the hunt for the King. Needless to say, you put him on the Bulls or Rockets and theyre in the hunt for a title. The Lakers? Kobe and LeBron would be an interesting pairing but what does the rest of the roster look like? How long does Kobe hold up? Lots more questions than answers in LA. The rumour mill will surely be filled with gossip from all three of these spots. 5. TORONTO RAPTORS: Not saying this because its wishful thinking on my part. Seriously, why not? They desperately need a starting small forward. You put him with a re-signed Kyle Lowry, Demar DeRozan, a re-signed Patrick Patterson and Jonas Valanciunas with a re-signed Greivis Vasquez, Terrence Ross and Amir Johnson and Ill take my chances with anyone in the East. On a league-wide scale Im not scared by anyone with that crew on my side. You want hoops to grow in Toronto and across the country - go for it. Nothing to lose. Realistic? Maybe not but honestly thats not a bad eight-man core whatsoever. Obviously, the salary cap/luxury tax always comes into play but for a player of this magnitude you explore every possibility. It would actually be a very good team if it ever happened. Why not Toronto? Its about time we stick our chests out and go for it. I like the style of GM Masai Ujiri and CEO Tim Leiweke and this fits them if its a reasonable pursuit. ' ' '