AP
England’s unprecedented 41-game unbeaten run was broken by Canada 24-21 and witnessed by the biggest crowd in North American women´s rugby on Friday.
Canada, unable to handle England’s scrum, trailed 14-5 at halftime and 21-12 after more than an hour and didn’t settle a compelling WXV contest until a 78th-minute try by Shoshanah Seumanutafa.
“We really had to grind it out and find a way,” Canada captain Sophie de Goede said. “That’s kind of the DNA of our team.” England suffered its first loss since the 2022 Women’s Rugby World Cup final, its only previous defeat in 72 matches since 2019. “Sometimes the flipped coin doesn’t go on the side you want it to go,” England captain Meg Jones said. “It’s just the nature of the beast.” England showed vulnerability last month at home where it drew with Canada 26-26, ending its 39-match winning streak.
That effort gave Canada confidence for the return match at home, including the availability of world player of the year De Goede, rested from its last match, a loss in France, and wings Asia Hogan-Rochester and Alysha Corrigan after injuries. The hope drew 18,621 spectators, 7,000 more than the previous biggest crowd for a standalone women´s match in North America.
England should have scored first but Claudia Moloney-MacDonald dropped the ball over the tryline . Then Canada used numbers after a Zoe Harrison yellow card for fullback Savannah Bauder to score in a three-on-one. England stumbles continued with three turnovers in the Canada 22, two on the tryline. But after Canada lock Laetitia Royer was sin-binned, England powered ahead with tries by Maddie Feaunati and Harrison before halftime. Canada closed to 14-12 in the second half when Corrigan collected her own grubber kick and celebrated before scoring. But England moved further ahead 21-12 after 12 phases when prop Sarah Bern smashed over.
Canada was plagued by forward passes but stayed calm. A missed penalty touch-finder by England was countered and prop DaLeaka Menin, one of three Canada survivors from its last win over England 10 years ago, plowed over to cut the gap to two again.