'Why not?' - Scotland aim for Canada upset

Scotland followed a big win over Wales with a fine victory over Fiji

Womens' Rugby World Cup Pool B: Canada v Scotland

Venue: Sandy Park, Exeter Date: Saturday, 6 September Kick-off: 12:00 BST

Coverage: Live on BBC Two, BBC Radio Sports Extra, BBC iPlayer and BBC Sport website and app

Nothing energises a tournament quite like a shock upset and Scotland believe they can provide the Women's Rugby World Cup with a bolt of electricity by toppling Canada in Exeter on Saturday.

Second versus sixth in the world rankings does not immediately leap off the page as your typical David v Goliath affair, but the truth is the gap between these sides is far greater than those four ranking spots represent.

Alongside tournament favourites England, New Zealand and - when the mood captures them - France, Canada are operating at the top table of the women's game and it is very hard to imagine the tournament winners will not come from that quartet.

The Canadians have started the World Cup like a train, dispatching Fiji (65-7) and Wales (42-0) in ruthless fashion.

Clearly there is a gulf between them and Scotland, but one the underdogs believe can be bridged, even if only for one game.

"We're going into this weekend like, 'why the hell not have a go at them?'," said prop Lisa Cockburn.

"We know Canada have a really good set-up and they've been playing really well. They're very skilled, they're very fast and they will throw the kitchen sink at us.

"We've done loads of analysis on them, we've got a really good game plan and the last few weeks our game plan has worked. It's been tailored to each game.

"So, I'm really optimistic and I think, 'why not cause a bit of upheaval in the World Cup, and maybe upset a few people?'

"It would be amazing for us as a squad and I think we're in the best place that we could be. Each week we've been getting better and we're learning quickly from any mistakes. We're just going to throw everything at it on Saturday."

Beat world number two to avoid number one

The carrot for Scotland to beat the number two side in the world is the possibility of avoiding the number one side in the quarter-finals.

If, as expected, Scotland were to finish second in Pool B behind Canada, they would face hosts England in the last eight, where their journey would surely come to an end. A Scotland victory over England in their own tournament would be an upset to rival any in the history of the World Cup – women's or men's.

Better then to navigate a different course, one that would set-up a quarter-final against either Australia or the United States. Still a tough assignment, but not quite the mission impossible of facing the Red Roses.

Soon to be stepping down head coach Bryan Easson spoke this week of "routes to the semi-final and final", which is bold talk for a team who arrived at this tournament mired in off-field chaos.

And yet Scotland's performances in the victories over Wales and Fiji, with the likes of Francesca McGhie, Rhona Lloyd and Emma Orr lighting it up, have allowed them to dream of doing something special.

Victory over Canada would be special in itself and it would set them up for a truly memorable campaign.

"You want to challenge yourself against the best, and Canada are definitely up there as one of the best, if not the best team in this tournament at the minute," said Scotland captain Rachel Malcolm.

"We know the challenge ahead, but that excites us. As Scots, we love that underdog mentality. I know the Canadians think of themselves as underdogs as well, so it's going to be two going up against each other for that title.

"We're looking at this game as an opportunity to go out there and put in an even better performance than we have in the first two games.

"The energy about the group is class and just a huge amount of excitement going into the last pool game."