Sitting on the sidelines hasn鈥檛 been easy for Sophie de Goede.

Perched in the press box at BC Place on Sunday, the Canadian rugby star leapt from her seat every time her teammates appeared poised to make a big play against France at the WXV 1 tournament.

Six weeks out of surgery for a torn anterior cruciate ligament and with her knee locked in a large brace, de Goede should not be leaping 鈥� she simply can鈥檛 resist.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a bit of a bittersweet feeling,鈥� she said of watching Canada compete. 鈥淏ut I鈥檓 honestly so excited to see where they鈥檙e taking the game while I鈥檓 out. And I just hope to be able to add when I get back here.鈥�

De Goede missed a big moment in Canadian rugby this summer.

The 25-year-old from Victoria, B.C., was expected to be part of Canada鈥檚 sevens squad at the Paris Olympics in July, but tore her ACL at a national team training camp before the Games.

With de Goede back home, Canada captured silver 鈥� the country鈥檚 best-ever showing in the sport.

鈥淚 think that we often feel a little underestimated on the global stage in the rugby world. 鈥� To come out and do that at the Olympics, when the moment matters most, I think, just shows what an incredibly resilient and fiery group of women we have,鈥� de Goede said.

鈥淭hey鈥檒l have made an affect on the rugby community in Canada that you鈥檒l see ripples of for years and years to come.鈥�

Women鈥檚 rugby is climbing in popularity around the world, she added, with more girls joining the sport and new professional clubs popping up across the globe.

Canada is currently ranked third in the world in women鈥檚 15s, but staying on top will require more investment.

鈥淎s women鈥檚 rugby ascends, we don鈥檛 want to get left behind just because we鈥檙e a smaller (rugby) nation,鈥� de Goede said.

Players for many of the top-ranked nations are paid annual salaries by their countries, she explained, while the Canadian teams get stipends for training camps and match fees for playing individual games.

Many players make money by playing for professional teams overseas, including de Goede, who plies her craft with Saracens in the U.K.

Hosting events like WXV 1 helps, de Goede said, by giving people a chance to see the game being played by the very best in the world. The tournament currently taking place in Vancouver features six of the world鈥檚 top teams, including No. 1-ranked England.

鈥淭hese (Canadian) women perform against the odds to a certain extent, compared to the resources that other nations get and just the size of the game in other nations,鈥� she said.

鈥淎nd imagine how great our team could be if we really had the backing of more Canadian partners, had more young Canadians aspiring to play for the team, bigger crowds, etc. But you鈥檝e got to start somewhere.鈥�

WXV 1 is the start of Canada鈥檚 preparation for next year鈥檚 World Cup in England.

De Goede and her teammates finished fourth at the pandemic-delayed 2021 World Cup in New Zealand.

Ahead of that tournament, players quit jobs and lived out of suitcases with billet families to attend camps in Halifax and Victoria.

鈥淲e came so close against England in that semifinal game,鈥� de Goede said. 鈥淎nd if we could have even more time together earlier in the year, we would have hit our stride earlier in the World Cup campaign, or potentially before the World Cup campaign, so that we could really take off when it came to those middle rounds.

鈥淪o that鈥檚 what I鈥檇 love to see in this World Cup cycle is just that time, time that we鈥檙e able to invest together earlier in the cycle, earlier in the year.鈥�

With Canada preparing for WXV so close to her home this month, de Goede has had a chance to spend time with teammates.

Being around them has brought her spirits up during a difficult recovery process.

鈥淲henever I feel down, I have a good crew to lift me up and look after me,鈥� she said.

There鈥檚 still ample work to be done, but de Goede is confident she鈥檒l be back on the rugby pitch with Canada before long.

鈥淢y mantra is just to come back Sophie 2.0, bigger, better stronger,鈥� she said.