Favorite England and defending champion New Zealand have long been slated as most likely to face off in the women's Rugby World Cup final, but France and Canada have other ideas heading into Saturday's semifinals at Eden Park.

The French are the more likely spoilers, having beaten New Zealand in their last four meetings, including back-to-back encounters during the Black Ferns' tour of Europe last November.

Having helped dent the aura of the five-time world champions, France coach Thomas Darracq believes his team will not be overawed when they bid to reach the World Cup final for the first time at the spiritual home of New Zealand rugby.

"The match in Eden Park will be unique, because it is a World Cup semi-final, because it is not an autumn tour," Darracq said Thursday. "It's a really special moment. Having beaten them gives you that feeling that it's playable. But even if we had lost, it would still be playable. But maybe this gives a little more strength to this group."

New Zealand's tour of Europe last year, when the Black Ferns also lost heavily to England twice, triggered significant changes within the New Zealand setup early this season.

Former All Blacks assistant coach Wayne Smith was brought in to lead the team, and he adopted a high-tempo running game he hoped would counter the remorseless forward power of the top Europeans.

Keeping possession in style ?

Sarah Hirini shows off her improvisation skills to keep the attack going for @BlackFerns ?? #RWC2021 pic.twitter.com/xdMxD1wVYX

— Rugby World Cup (@rugbyworldcup) October 31, 2022

New Zealand has shown plenty of attacking flair throughout the tournament against lesser opponents, but Smith knows the true test will come against the French on Saturday.

"We have decided as a group that we have to change the way we play," he said. "It's been quite a big job, and I've got really good coaches working with me. We're all pretty proud of what we've done, but now it's crunch time."

Two-time champion England has been the best team in the world for a few years now and will take on Canada knowing a 30th consecutive win will take the team into a sixth straight World Cup final.

The Red Roses can run the ball, but their game is more about field position and forward power. In particular, a lineout drive that is all but impossible to stop legally.

Captain’s Run for #ENGvCAN ✔️#TeamDream | #RedRoses pic.twitter.com/PAWFHnABF3

— England Rugby (@EnglandRugby) November 4, 2022

Coach Simon Middleton is, however, expecting a tough test against a Canada team that also prides itself on its forward play.

"It's going to be a very physical game up front," he said. "They have a fantastic team, and it's going to be a tough set-piece battle. We've looked at a few different variations on things now, and we'll see how it goes."

Canada, which lost to the Red Roses in the 2014 final, has not beaten England in eight matches, going back to 2016, but coach Kevin Rouet believes his side can trigger an upset if it is at its best.

"Scrum and lineouts are the basics, you just have to be efficient in them if you want to win the game," he said. "The kicking game also, because we know England is very good at that. After that, if we open the game, we have a lot of stuff to show ourselves."