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Kelly Russell knows younger sister Laura is never too far behind her on the rugby pitch. And thats good news for Canada. Kelly, who plays No. 8 at the back of the scrum, is captain of the Canadian womens team. Younger sister Laura is a prop, plying her trade at the forwards coal face. "We know each others tendencies on the field so its always great to play with her," said Kelly, who at 27 has two years on her sister. "Shes a hard worker, so anywhere Im around the pitch shes there too. I always know shes got my back." Kelly Russell has 24 more women behind her as Canada gears up for Fridays Womens Rugby World Cup opener against Spain in France. A quiet leader, Russell has the respect of her Canadian crew. "Kellys amazing," said veteran centre Mandy Marchak. "Shes very focused, very strong-minded. She understand what it is to be a part of such a big team and she leads by example. Shes quiet but when she speaks, it speaks volumes. She backs everything she says by how she plays. "Shes very strong on the field -- individually and for the team. Shes a really important part of the team. Kelly and I have been friends for a pretty long time and (shes) somebody I look up to." Marchak and Russell share a moment before each game. "Something I feel I personally have shared with Kelly throughout the years has been the final minutes before running onto the pitch, I turn to Kelly and she gives me this nod," Marchak wrote in a 2012 blog. "I know this nod very well. Its a nod saying were ready, we know what we need to do, lets just go out and do it. "It has actually been the one thing I feel I look forward to, as it calms me and gives me that last ounce of believe." Russell, who also played in the 2010 World Cup as well as two sevens World Cups, sees good things ahead for this Canadian team which she describes as a mix of experience with "want-to-impress" new blood. Originally from Bolton, Ont., Russell is one of about 20 women, all tied into the sevens program, who are centralized in the Victoria area. Other players have moved west to train with them. Part of their regimen involves working with UFC bantamweight Sarah Kaufman at the ZUMA gym in Victoria. Kaufman helps them with condition and grappling -- wrestling takedowns are similar to tackling to rugby. "A real help," said Russell. Canada, which finished fourth in 1998, 2002 and 2006 and a disappointing sixth in 2010, is in a pool with England, Samoa and Spain. The three pool winners and the runner-up with the best record advance to the semifinals. New Zealand has won the last four tournaments, defeating England in the last three finals. The Russell sisters -- including an older sibling -- followed their fathers footsteps into rugby with the Toronto Nomads. Kelly was 14 or 15 when she took up the sport. Now she leads Canada out on rugbys biggest stage. "When I started, it was just about playing rugby and trying it out. And I just loved it right away," she recalled. "So the natural progression was just to keep pursuing higher levels." She got her first cap in 2007 and has 35 going into the World Cup -- no small feat considering womens rugby internationals are few and far between. Named to the 2010 World Cup all-star squad, Russell was named Rugby Canadas Womens Fifteens Player of the Year for 2013. Canada last faced Spain at the 1991 and 2006 World Cups, winning 79-0 and 19-4. "Were expecting Spain to play a lot of rugby (Friday) with a lot of ball in play, fast pace and a lot of running, similar to the style we play and they play with no fear," Canadian coach Francois Ratier said in a statement. "This is the World Cup. And its important for us to set the tone with a big effort against Spain. We need to focus on our game and dont change our style or philosophy because its been working -- just push up the intensity." 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Paire broke Giraldo twice and lost his serve once in both sets to wrap up the win in 1 hour, 10 minutes. He will next face Pablo Carreno Busta of Spain, who advanced when Jurgen Zopp of Estonia retired with an injury at 5-5 in the first set.The Vancouver Whitecaps take on FC Dallas on Wednesday night in Frisco, Texas in the MLS playoff knockout match. If the Whitecaps are to progress into the next round, there are some key areas that they will need to focus on. 1. Stop Blas Perez The Panamanian striker is a natural goal scorer – and he has already hit the Whitecaps for three goals in three regular season games this year. Denying Perez opportunities in the penalty area is going to be central to the Whitecaps success. The first way to do this is to deny Perez from receiving the ball. By shutting off the supply line from wide areas – particularly from the likes of Fabian Castillo and Andres Escobar – Perez will drop deeper to try to get on the ball. The farther the Whitecaps can keep Perez from their goal, the less damage he will be able to do. If the Whitecaps cannot stop Perez getting service in the penalty area, the next step is to get as tight as possible. No striker likes to be marked tightly, and while Perez is no stranger to physical play, he wont fancy getting roughed up by Kendall Waston and Andy OBrien. If Vancouvers two centre halves can physically dominate Perez, the Panamanian will struggle to influence the game. 2. Control the area in front of the back four While Matias Laba was voted the Whitecaps Unsung Hero this season, his performances havent garnered the attention that they have merited by the wider MLS media. Laba has been crucial to the Whitecaps success this year because he has dominated the area in front of the back four. Laba covers an incredible amount of ground and is tenacious in the tackle. His distribution is clean and crisp, allowing Vancouver to transition quickly from defending to attacking. Against FC Dallas, Laba has to dominate the middle of the pitch if Vancouver is to succeed. This will not be easy, as the home side will likely try to dictate the tempo of the game by dominating possession. But this can work in Vancouvers favour, as the transition game is something at which the Whitecaps excel. When Laba wins back possession, his exit pass must find the feet of a teammate. 3. Pedro Morales has to perform up to his ability Pedro Morales has been a tremendous success for Vancouver this year, and he should win the MLS Newcomer of the Year award for his overall play. However, he has not played that well away from the confines of BC Place. There are many reasons for this; visiting teams tend not to have as much possession and are forced to do moore defending, for example.dddddddddddd But in the playoffs, the Whitecaps cannot afford to have their best player be anything less than their best player. Morales has the ability to unlock even the tightest defense; his passing range and technical ability are superb. If he can dictate the tempo of the game when Vancouver has possession of the ball by switching the point of attack and releasing either Erik Hurtado or Darren Mattocks in attack, the Whitecaps will cause FC Dallas all kinds of problems. 4. Dominate both penalty areas Set pieces will be a factor in this game; FC Dallas has players like Perez and Matt Hedges who are a threat in the air, while Vancouver has Kendall Waston and the delivery of both Pedro Morales and Mauro Rosales. The team that dominates both penalty areas is likely to win the game. Until the arrival of Waston, the Whitecaps lacked a genuine goal scoring threat from set pieces. The now-retired Jay DeMerit, Andy OBrien and Johnny Leveron have scored a grand total of zero goals for Vancouver this season. Waston has two in just nine starts since joining the club midseason, including the only goal in the 1-0 win over Colorado on Saturday that clinched a playoff berth for the Whitecaps. With Waston in the team, Vancouver is a threat to score from every set piece in the attacking third, particularly from corner kicks. If the delivery is good from Morales and Rosales, dont bet against Waston adding to his goal-scoring tally against FC Dallas. 5. Fortune favours the brave Whitecaps head coach Carl Robinson has impressed in his first year in charge of the club, particularly in his willingness to give his young players a chance. In Saturdays victory over Colorado, Robinson showed no hesitation in replacing the injured Steven Beitashour with 19-year old Sam Adekugbe, nor with bringing on another 19-year old – Kekuta Manneh – in the second half. Both players played well with the game hanging in the balance, with Mannehs positive play winning the corner kick from which Waston scored the games only goal. If the Whitecaps are going to beat FC Dallas, their youngsters need to play like seasoned veterans. Russell Teibert, Gershon Koffie, Sebastian Fernandez, Nicolas Mezquida, Manneh, Adekugbe, Hurtado and Mattocks all have roles to play on Wednesday night. If they play like men and not like boys, the Whitecaps will fancy their chances of progressing on to meet the Seattle Sounders in the Western Conference semi-finals. ' ' '