TORONTO - Forward Kelly Russell will lead a balanced Canadian side at the IRB Womens Rugby World Cup in Paris this summer. The 27-year-old captain from Bolton, Ont., one of 26 women named to coach Francois Ratiers roster Monday, will be looking to erase the memories of a disappointing sixth-place finish at the 2010 tournament. The Canadian womens best result is fourth, achieved at the 1998, 2002 and 2006 tournaments. Other returning veterans of the 2010 tournament are Kim Donaldson, Mandy Marchak, Barbara Mervin, Julia Sugawara, Brittany Waters and Julianne Zussman. Five or six players were unavailable for selection due to injury or sevens commitments. "This is the 26 best players we had available," said Ratier, who took over the Canadian women in March 2013. "My goal at the beginning was to have a balanced squad between veterans and new players — experience and fresh minds," he added. "At the end, thats what I have." The youngsters include 19-year-old fly half Emily Belchos. New Zealand has won the last four womens World Cups, beating England in the final of the last three tournaments. Canada can take confidence from staying close to the Black Ferns in 33-21 and 16-8 losses on tour in June. "We were pretty pleased about the performance in New Zealand," said Ratier. "But we didnt show everything. So we keep some surprises, maybe. Well see. "We are not so far (behind). In a World Cup, in one game, you never know." Russell plays No. 8 at the back of the scrum, one of several positions that Ratier considers the spine of his team. The others are hooker (Donaldson and Mary-Jane Kirby), scrum half (Stephanie Bernier), fly half (Belchos is one of several contenders) and fullback (Elissa Alarie). "She (Russell), for me, is the centre of this spine — because of her experience, the way she leads and the good communication between her and I" said Ratier. Russells younger sister Laura is also on the World Cup roster. The 12-team tournament runs Aug. 1-17 in France. Canada has been placed in Pool A with Spain, Samoa and England. Canada opens against Spain, a team it beat at the 1991 and 2006 World Cups, on Aug 1 before facing Samoa on Aug. 5 and England on Aug. 9. Canada has never played Samoa. The Canadian women beat a young England squad 27-13 last summer but lost 30-3 when they met again last November. Only the three pool winners and the best-placed runner-up team advance to the semifinals. "Obviously in our pool, England is the favourite," said Ratier. "Its a fact. So it forces us to win and score a lot of points against Spain and Samoa." Ratier, a native of France who came to Canada 11 years ago and now makes his home in Montreal, has also coached the Rugby Club de Montreal (2003-2008), Concordia University (2007-2008) and the Quebec provincial team. He was also technical director of the Quebec Union and assistant coach with The Rock and Canada ‘A in 2009. In addition, he has worked with the Canada U-17 mens side. The Canadian women will gather for a one-week training camp in France prior to the tournament. Canadas Womens Rugby World Cup Roster: (with club and home town) Elissa Alarie, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue Rugby Club, Trois-Rivieres, Que.; Emily Belchos, Barrie, Ont., Markham Irish RFC; Brittany Benn, Guelph Redcoats, Napanee, Ont.; Stephanie Bernier, Club de Rugby Quebec, Quebec City; Tyson Beukeboom, Aurora Barbarians, Uxbridge, Ont.; Latoya Blackwood, St. Anne de Bellevue, Montreal; Andrea Burk, Capilano RFC, North Vancouver; Olivia DeMerchant, Woodstock Wildmen, Mapledale, N.B.; Kim Donaldson, Burnaby Lake Rugby Club, Toronto; Jessica Dovanne, Velox RFC, Victoria; Magali Harvey, Club de Rugby Quebec, Quebec City; Mary-Jane Kirby, Highland RFC, Brampton, Ont.; Hilary Leith, Capilano RFC, Vancouver; Kayla Mack, Wild Oats RFC, Saskatoon; Mandy Marchak, Capilano RFC, Winnipeg; Barbara Mervin, Velox RFC, Peterborough, Ont.; Jacey Murphy, Aurora Barbarians, Alliston, Ont.; Karen Paquin, Club de Rugby Quebec, Quebec City; Marie-Pier Pinault-Reid, Club de Rugby Quebec, Quebec City; Kelly Russell (capt.), Toronto Nomads, Bolton, Ont.; Laura Russell, Toronto Nomads, Bolton, Ont.; Maria Samson, Calgary Hornets, Calgary; Julia Sugawara, Burnaby Lake RFC, Surrey, B.C.; Amanda Thornborough, Brandon Barbarians RFC, Brandon, Man.; Brittany Waters, Meraloma Athletic Club, Vancouver; Julianne Zussman, Town of Mount Royal RFC, Montreal. Head Coach: Francois Ratier Forwards Coach: Gary Dukelow Backs Coach: Colette McAuley Technical Adviser: John Tait Strength and Conditioning: Steve Mackinnon Tanoh Kpassagnon Super Bowl Jersey . The game marks the rare occasion when two homegrown running backs, Jon Cornish of the Calgary Stampeders and Andrew Harris of the B.C. Lions, will start in the West Divisions battle for a Grey Cup berth. Tyreek Hill Super Bowl Jersey .com) - Jimmie Johnson won Sundays AAA Texas 500 while championship contenders Jeff Gordon and Brad Keselowski as well as their teams were involved in a post-race fight on pit road after the two clashed in the closing laps at Texas Motor Speedway. http://www.officialkcchiefspro.com/Juan-...-chiefs-jersey/. The Maple Leafs will play on the road for the first time this season after dropping home contests to Montreal and Pittsburgh to begin the campaign. After losing a one-goal decision to the Canadiens on Wednesday, they were bested 5-2 on Saturday by the Penguins. Patrick Mahomes Super Bowl Jersey . The redshirt freshman finished the regular season with nearly 3,500 passing yards, and 35 touchdowns with another three on the ground while leading the Seminoles to the top of the BCS Rankings. Len Dawson Super Bowl Jersey .3 seconds remaining, and No. 7 North Carolina held off a resilient No. 25 Virginia team, 54-51, on Saturday. John Henson contributed a double-double with 15 points to go with 11 rebounds for the Tar Heels (25-4, 12-2 ACC), who have won five straight and 10 of 11.Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainments efforts to find a replacement for chief executive Tim Leiweke have stalled in recent weeks, with some board members musing that the company should try to convince Leiweke to stay on board. The board has spent months interviewing possible replacements for Leiweke and has been collectively surprised that some qualified candidates havent been interested in even interviewing for the job. MLSE is jointly owned by Bell Media, TSNs parent company, and telecom rival Rogers Communications. The perception that those companies are often at odds has made some sports executives contacted by MLSE wary. Leiweke said in August that he plans to leave MLSE by June 2015. He has since confirmed to Bloomberg News that he has talked with Live Nation Entertainment chairman Irving Azoff about starting a joint venture that could include assets that belong to Madison Square Garden Co. Leiweke joined MLSE in 2013 after working for 13 years for the Anschutz Entertainment Group, which owns the Los Angeles Lakers and Kings. After a rough start, when he drew criticism for a plan to remove photos of Leafs legends from the hallways of the Air Canada Centre, Leiweke won praise for his hiring of Raptors GM Masai Ujiri, and for navigating local politics to get a new $30-million practice facility built for the Raptors. John Cassaday, chief executive of Corus Entertainment in Toronto, is widely considered a front-runner for the job. But even he has his detractors on the board. Cassaday is 60, according to Forbes.coom, and some MLSE board members, a source told TSN, would prefer a younger CEO.dddddddddddd. One person familiar with the matter told TSN that the board has realized in recent months the talent it is poised to lose when Leiweke leaves. Several board members had discussions with Leiweke about staying on as recently as December, but that option has been abandoned, the person said. Leiweke and MLSE part-owner Larry Tanenbaum have a fractious relationship and unless Tanenbaum sells his minority stake in Canadas highest profile company - a development that probably wont happen - Leiweke is unlikely to change his mind about leaving. Leiweke has spent recent weeks addressing issues with TFC. Star player Jermaine Defoe wont return to the team next season and Leiweke has been trying to get MLSE the best return for him, and plotting a plan to replace him. The story of who will replace Leiweke has percolated in sports business circles for months. Several Toronto-based sports business executives said perhaps the best candidate to replace Leiweke would be his own brother. Tod Leiweke, Tims younger brother, is the chief executive of a sports holding company that owns the Tampa Bay Lightning and its arena. He previously was the CEO of the NFLs Seattle Seahawks. Tods so well respected in the industry, but I really dont see it happening, said one Toronto-based sports industry executive. How does that conversation go when Tod calls Tim and asks, what do you think of the board? Should I interview for the job? ' ' '