With only days until Women's Rugby World Cup 2010 kicks off
on Friday, we complete our Players to Watch series with the Pool C
teams - Canada, France, Scotland and Sweden.
VIEW THE
POOL A AND
POOL B PLAYERS TO WATCH >>
CANADA: HEATHER MOYSE
Heather Moyse has already enjoyed a golden year after winning
Olympic gold in the two-man bobsleigh in Vancouver as brakeman to
Kaillie Humphries, banishing the disappointment of narrowly missing
out on a bronze medal four years earlier in Turin.
Only six weeks after the euphoria of that February evening,
Moyse had turned her focus back to rugby and openly admitted to
being nervous as she tried to win a place in Canada's squad for
Women's Rugby World Cup 2010 after a two-year sabbatical from
the Game.
A natural athlete with power, speed and great vision, Moyse
was the top try and point scorer at the last Women's Rugby
World Cup in 2006, crossing for seven tries - four of them against
Kazakhstan in the pool stages - as Canada finished fourth on home
soil and will be a contender for the same honour again in 2010.
Moyse, who turned 32 last month, made an instant impact on
her return to the Canadian jersey in June by scoring the winning
try in a 14-8 victory over the USA, a far cry from the painful
memories of her last appearance two years earlier when she broke
her shoulder.
FRANCE: SANDRINE AGRICOLE
One of France's most experienced players, Sandrine
Agricole has 44 caps to her name - a tally only bettered by two
members of their Women's Rugby World Cup 2010 squad in Laetitia
Salles (55) and Stephanie Provost (73).
The 30-year-old, who has been playing rugby since she was 11
and also cites gymnastics as another sporting interest, is the
playmaker at the centre of the French backline and at the heart of
most of their attacks, dictating play and showing vision to unlock
opposition defences.
Agricole, who plays her club rugby for Rennes, has been
described by some as the complete package, able to marry skill,
speed and power with the ability to put players into space or break
the line herself and will be a player to watch at England 2010.
The centre scored three tries in the RBS Women's Six
Nations earlier this year, one against Wales and a brace against
Italy, before France came agonisingly short of beating England on
the final weekend, going down 11-10.
SCOTLAND: LUCY MILLARD
Lucy Millard will hope that history repeats itself when
Scotland face France on 24 August, the centre having scored two
tries, including the last gasp winner, when the sides met in the
RBS Women's Six Nations earlier this year.
The 26-year-old made her Scotland debut in February 2003 and
has blossomed into a player described by coach Gary Parker as
"quick and elusive with good skills and great awareness",
not to mention "a player that has the ability to play in any
team in the world."
A trainee solicitor, having been a law graduate from
Edinburgh University, Millard has been in prolific try scoring mode
over the last 15 months, crossing for nine tries in three matches
as Scotland won their European Women's Trophy 2009 pool to
qualify for Women's Rugby World Cup 2010.
Millard has previously worn the number 15 jersey for
Scotland, but has played at centre this year and celebrated her
50th cap against Ireland in the Six Nations. This will be the
second Women's Rugby World Cup for Millard, who will be looking
to add to the tries she scored against Spain and Kazakhstan four
years ago in Canada.
SWEDEN: ULRIKA ANDERSSON-HALL
Often described as the 'heart of the Swedish team',
Ulrika Andersson-Hall has been counting down the days until
Women's Rugby World Cup 2010 from the moment she led her
country to qualification 15 months ago.
Andersson-Hall, who played in Sweden's last World Cup
appearance back in 1998, pulled the strings at fly half throughout
their successful qualifying campaign on home soil when they defied
the Women's European Trophy seedings to beat both Italy and
Spain to top their pool.
The 37-year-old mother of two has a background in handball,
but has well and truly caught the rugby bug, even if that means
braving temperatures of -18 degrees and training in inches of snow
throughout the harsh Swedish winter.
An Oxford University graduate - she holds a PhD in
biochemistry - Andersson-Hall is determined to seize this World Cup
opportunity, admitting: "I can't believe my luck that
I'll get another chance to play in a World Cup ... this time as
a proud captain of a team of great rugby players."
