In Exeter last month, there were two expressions on Olivia Apps’ face that bode ill for England.

The first was a smirk.

It came at the start of Canada’s 26-26 draw with the Red Roses at Sandy Park.

Apps, Canada’s starting scrum-half, aimed it at, and shared it with, England trio Zoe Harrison, Jess Breach and Marlie Packer, who she has played alongside with Saracens in the PWR this season.

“Playing at Saracens has really helped to take the mystique away from all these names that you see on a teamsheet,” Apps told BBC Sport.

“You know them as people and it takes away that uncertainty, [the] mysterious part.”

The second look came late on.

In the final play of the game, with the scores level and Canada in possession on their own 22m, Apps was stationed on the wing, waiting for a pass that never came.

Rather than spin and gamble for victory, full-back Claire Gallagher opted to boot the ball into touch and secure a draw.

“It was the right call, but when the message came on [from coach Kevin Rouet] I had to ask three times, because I thought there was no way,” says Apps.

“We just thought, obviously we were going to run the ball and try and score.”

Rather than joy at becoming the first team to avoid defeat against England in nearly four years, Apps and her team sagged with disappointment that they hadn’t had been able to decisively down rugby’s most dominant team.

Familiarity, and scoreboard equity, has bred belief.

Fortunately, Apps has two more shots coming up.

Canada take on England in Toronto on Friday and then, seven days later, again in Ottawa.

The matches are the first time Canada have played on home soil since a Rugby World Cup warm-up match in August 2025.

More than 15,000 Canada fans are expected to pack BMO Field.

The two Tests have been sold to them as the Rugby Rematch Tour, riffing on Canada’s defeat by England in the Rugby World Cup final a year ago.

A rematch with a revised outcome has been Rouet’s aim for the whole of 2026.

“Being a different squad from the World Cup allows us to have more of a belief in our ability to beat England,” says Apps.

“We’ve been together for five weeks, we have home advantage, mentally we feel really confident. There is definitely more of an expectation now.

“Overall, I think we’d be really, really disappointed in ourselves if we couldn’t get a victory this weekend.”

Doing so would further fuel the momentum of women’s rugby in Canada.

While England benefit from top-class facilities, a deep player pool and central contracts, Canada launched a crowdfunding campaign before the last Rugby World Cup to cover the cost of their training camps.

After Canada’s stirring campaign, the country’s government announced a new 755m Canadian dollars (£401m) funding package for sport in the country in May., external

“I think our showing at the World Cup was like a big final push to get that from the government,” says Apps.

“We’ve yet to see what that it means specifically for rugby, but we’ve heard really positive things.”

A behind-the-scenes documentary on Canada’s Rugby World Cup campaign, called All Heart, has just been released and, in conjunction with the two Tests against England, should boost Apps and others’ profiles.

“England has done a phenomenal job of that,” says Apps.

“The way they tell the story of their athletes and how their athletes get so much space and opportunity to showcase who they are and their brand, alongside rugby.

“It’s amazing to see where female rugby athletes can go.”

Apps has seen that close up over the past year. She initially signed with Saracens as short-term injury cover last October, but has been in sensational form, playing a key part in the north London side’s first PWR title in four years and being named the top flight’s player of the season.

A new three-year contract extension was announced this week.

Saracens invited Sue Schilling, the chief executive of UK Alopecia, a condition that Apps was diagnosed with aged seven, to record a congratulatory message, , externalemphasising the importance of Apps as a role model.

The security of Apps’ Saracens contract means she knows her path to the Los Angeles Olympics, where she and Canada will defend the silver medals they won in Paris, and the next Rugby World Cup in Australia in 2029.

While she and her fellow Canadians – world player of the year Sophie de Goede, Alysha Corrigan and Julia Omokhuale are among her compatriots at Saracens – have struggled to source pumpkin puree and decent maple syrup in London, they have found the highest level of women’s club rugby in the world.

“There is such a strong pool of experience that it does just feel very stimulating and challenging,” Apps says.

“Saracens has an environment with a winning culture which really drives performance and competition. It’s something which I really enjoy.”

Come the final whistle on Friday, England will hope not to see the smile from Apps which would mean the demise of their long unbeaten run.