Having flattered to deceive by their own high standards for much of the season, Canada deservedly reached the Cup final at the last round of the IRB Women's Sevens World Series in Amsterdam recently to finish third in the standings overall.
Experienced stalwart Mandy Marchak believes that the Canadians have now started to show the kind of form that can breathe real confidence heading into the World Cup in Russia.
"Being in good form is very important in big competitions like this. Looking at the pool we have been drawn in, we know that going into the World Cup with anything less than the standard we finished with in Amsterdam won't be acceptable in our eyes," said Marchak of the pool challenge that awaits them in Series champions New Zealand, Netherlands and Tunisia.
"We intend to go into Moscow the way we finished the tournament in Amsterdam. With all the hard work the team has put in this year, I believe we are peaking at the right time and looking forward to some good performances in Russia."
Full-time athletes
Canada's top players have been part of a full-time training programme for the past year and, under John Tait's guidance, they have been one of the toughest opponents on the first World Series.
Being able to develop as a squad at the start of this first Olympic cycle for Rugby Sevens has opened their eyes to the possibilities that lie ahead.
"I am really proud of our team and the progress of our programme this season," added Marchak. "No matter what, we always come back to the process and try to build and eliminate the errors and I really feel that we did that from tournament to tournament this season.
"These girls never cease to amaze me. The work ethic and the will to prepare is world class. Between now and the start of the World Cup we will be rehearsing the scenarios we may face and refining our play. It is now all about fine-tuning."
Moscow challenge
Of the four pools in the women's competition, Canada are in arguably the toughest. New Zealand have proved themselves to be the best and most consistent in the world this season; the Netherlands have also been a core team on the Series, while Tunusia are an unknown quanty.
"We have faced a lot of New Zealand and the Netherlands over the past few years and both are very tough opponents. They have very different approaches to how they play and we will need to be on top of our game to come out with a win in those.
"Tunisia are a side we have yet to play in a Series and we certainly won't be overlooking them or anyone else we come across in Moscow."
The World Cup in Moscow is only the second for the finest women's players in the world, four years on from the first in Dubai when Australia struck gold. Much has happened since then, and with the inception of the Series this season Marchak believes that these are pivotal times for the future expansion of the women's game.
"The Series was great to be part of this season. I liked it because it felt a lot more professional than it has been in the past and the women's game is getting a lot more support and exposure, which is exactly what it needs to grow and develop.
"It would be great to see the series develop and I think having it merged more alongside the men's would also be a real bonus. Playing in front of packed stadia is not like anything you have every experienced and it is an opportunity that everyone should get to experience at some point in their career.
"Who knows? Maybe after the World Cup the world will see what the women's game has to offer, and we will also be selling out the stadiums we play in throughout the year!"
Video: Canada reach final in Amsterdam
