It’s been a busy season and the type of season Sophie de Goede is having, but the Saracens back-row defender wouldn’t have it any other way in the Premiership Women’s Rugby (PWR) play-off semi-final next game. A horizon for this force of nature.
The 24-year-old rejoined Saracens for his second spell at the club last summer and has been playing regularly for them since, capping a cap for Canada on the HSBC SVNS circuit and captaining the national XV side to a stunning victory. He most recently featured in the Pacific Four Series (PAC 4).
Just thinking about it makes her tired, but her energy levels are higher than ever as Sarries reaches the business end of the PWR campaign as they prepare to host Bristol Bears in a last four tie at the StoneX Stadium on Sunday.
When asked how he got through this busiest campaign with three different teams, De Goede replied: “A lot of sleep and a lot of food.”
“I honestly have a really good support system around me, but with all the circumstances I’ve been through this season, everyone has been really understanding.
“After Saracens allowed me to go and play seven and PAC 4, it shows how much they care about the individuals who play for this team.
“And I think it’s been really good that the Canadian 7s and 15s have understood what I want to achieve here at the club and everyone has worked well together and I think we’ve been able to get a lot of great opportunities this year.
“It’s always good to look back and there are some great recent memories, but I’m trying to stay in the present because there are amazing opportunities ahead from Sunday.
“One of the things I always think about is trusting my preparation. I’ve put a lot of effort into preparing for these types of moments this season and previous seasons as well. Try to relax, enjoy the preparation, and let the process unfold on its own.
“At the end of the day, it is a game of rugby, so there are times when you win and times when you lose, but if you prepare properly, you feel good every time you play.
“And I think a lot of that has to do with the culture of the Saracens organization as a whole. Because it’s about taking care of people.
“Yes, we want to win. But here you get the feeling that everyone cares about you and your family, and that translates to the team and how we play for each other.
“We have people from all over the squad and we really look out for each other. I feel truly blessed to be surrounded by such great people on and off the pitch.”
Saracens, who lost to Exeter Chiefs in the league semi-final last year before De Goede’s return, are in no mood to fall into the same trouble again. They reached the last four as Allianz Cup winners and won their four regular season games after the Six Nations and PAC 4.
They sit second in the standings with Bristol in third, and both have won a game against each other in the regular season.
“The mood in the squad has really risen since the win against Loughborough last weekend,” De Goede said.
“There were a lot of changes to that game, I think it tested our depth and showed the strength of our entire team and overall we are feeling positive.
“There is a lot of excitement going into this weekend.
“I think we are reaching a peak at the right time. We’ve had some good performances in the league recently, a lot of our players are having good Six Nations and PAC 4 performances for their countries, and the girls back here at Saracens won the Allianz Cup while we were away.
“Everyone in the squad has stepped up as an individual player and it’s been really fun the way we’ve been able to come together as a group after the internationals.
“We played against Gloucester-Hartpury and Loughborough recently and that gave us momentum heading into this semi-final.
“Bristol are a threat everywhere on the pitch and they will play well.
“If they can play in their number 22, it should always be alive with them and they have a lot of talented individual players, so there’s a lot of fire to ignite throughout the pitch.
“They are a strong team and we will need to bring our ‘A’ game to the weekend if we are to progress.”
