Wallaroos captain Siokapesi Palu knows the pressure is on Canada in Sunday’s (AEST) quarter-final in Bristol, hoping they can defy the bookmakers and advance in the 2025 Rugby World Cup.
The Australians are at double-digit odds to upset the world number two side, whom they have never beaten.
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The Canadians, under coach Kévin Rouet, have been backed by fans and pundits alike as the team most likely to take down hosts England after an exponential rise to their highest-ever ranking.
But Palu and the Wallaroos suggest this could play into their favour.
“We are building something really good here, we're all on the same page, we all want to make sure that we give everything we got because we know what lies ahead of us,” she said.
“The odds are against us this game, and you know the pressure then gets bounced back on Canada; it’s up to them to perform to what people are expecting of them.
“If that means that it allows us, I guess, to take that pressure off us and play a little bit more freestyle rugby, which we're really good at, hopefully that puts belief in us that we can execute what we need.”
Palu was noticing the belief in the group after a promising performance against England defied the final score.
The Australians were the first team to lead the all-conquering Red Roses in almost eight hours of on-field action, holding it longer than anyone else has managed over their 30-game winning streak.
“There's been a huge confidence boost amongst the group,” Palu believes.
“You can see week in, week out, we continue to get better, but just being able to produce a performance like that against a top quality side in that first 30 minutes probably surprised most of us.
“It probably was good for us because now we can instil a bit of belief within ourselves that we can do things right as long as we execute it to the best we can.”
