P.E.I.'s Alysha Corrigan reflects on Canada's historic win over England

A Prince Edward Islander played an important role in a historic victory in front of a record crowd for the Canadian women’s rugby team.

That, in itself, would provide storylines. But for Alysha Corrigan of Charlottetown, the chance to share the experience with a young family member is a memory the 2024 Olympian will always cherish.

“My niece (Sophia Shephard) actually got to walk out on the field with me for the national anthem, which is like a moment that I will never forget,” Corrigan told The Guardian in a phone interview on Oct. 19. “That was pretty cool.”

Sophia, who will turn five years old in December, was one of approximately 25 family members cheering for Corrigan and Team Canada in Toronto on Oct. 16. The Canadians pulled out a 24-21 win over England before a record crowd of 18,621 fans at BMO Field. The win marked Canada’s first-ever win over England in Canada and ended England’s 41-match unbeaten streak.

“(It) was just a moment that hopefully she’ll be able to remember, but it was definitely a great moment for the family,” said Corrigan, who expressed gratitude to Rugby Canada for making the experience with Sophia possible. “She has no idea what actually was going on after the game. She kept being like, ‘Why do people want to come up and get a photo with you, or why are people asking for your signature or something?’

“It’ll be good photos to look back on.”

Corrigan said it meant a lot to play in the Canada-England game on home soil.

“We knew the excitement building up to it was big,” said Corrigan. “Whenever we got to step on the field and sing the national anthem – and have all those fans singing it with us – was super special.

“Those are the games you want to play in and be a part of.”

Canada’s win avenged a loss to England in the World Cup final in September 2025.

“When you’re at the top, everybody is trying to beat you. You’re world champions, and obviously a lot of us played in that World Cup final a little over a year ago, and still have some wounds from that game,” said Corrigan. “So, I think that any chance you get to play the No. 1 team in the world, it’s going to be a battle.

“We’ve been very open about that has been our No. 1 goal – to beat England this year – and everything that we’ve trained towards has been to accomplish that goal. What better occasion to do it than at home in front of a record crowd.”

Corrigan ignited Canada’s comeback scoring an important try early in the second half to get the momentum back on the Canadian side. Canada trailed 14-5 at halftime, but Corrigan’s score got the pro-Canadian crowd back in the game and momentum on the home team’s side.

“Honestly it was a pretty crazy moment,” said Corrigan describing the scoring play. “I just saw that there was nobody in the backfield and there was kind of like two defenders on me and I was like, ‘Well, I either kind of keep this ball in hand and I could get tackled at a touch or let’s see if I can pull this off.’

“That was kind of my mindset and then when it bounced up into my hands, perfectly, I was like, ‘0h, my God, this worked.’”

Corrigan, who plays professionally in the England Women’s Premiership Rugby and will rejoin the Saracens in mid-November, said it’s a play she has been working on lots in training.

“It (was) fun to pull (it) off in a game, but yeah, it was one of those holy s*** moments, I guess,” said Corrigan with a chuckle.

Despite trailing by nine points at the half, Corrigan said there was no panic in the Canadian dressing room. Corrigan added the conversation was to stick to the game plan and trust the process.

“We knew that there was going to be space out wide, so we knew that that’s where we kind of wanted to get the ball, and I think that in the second half, you saw lots of that,” said Corrigan. “It was backing ourselves. We knew that we were in the game, but we knew that we wanted to score first (in the second half).

“It was massive to be able to to help the team get the win.”

Asked about the atmosphere at BMO Field – home of the CFL’s Toronto Argonauts and Major League Soccer’s Toronto FC – Corrigan said it felt like there were more than just under 19,000 fans in attendance.

“It was just like anytime something happened, they were behind us,” said Corrigan. “It was just so special to play…

“So many people after the game were like, ‘This is like the loudest stadium I’ve been in; I’ve been to (a Toronto Blue) Jays’ game but the stadium was electric.’

“It was so loud. It was cool.”

Corrigan said Team Canada does not have the opportunity to play many games on home soil, so when they do the players relish the chance.

Canada and England will meet again at TD Place Stadium in Ottawa on Oct. 23 at 8 p.m. (AT). The game will be televised live on TSN 3.

After Canada’s win and the hype generated from the Toronto game, another lively atmosphere is expected in the nation’s capital.

“There was obviously a lot of buzz and excitement around the Toronto game, but I think that with the win, it will only help the ticket sales in Ottawa and people will want to be a part of that atmosphere and be a part of that game,” said Corrigan. “Every time that we’ve played in Ottawa before, we’ve had a great crowd and hopefully we can continue that.”

Jason Simmonds is a sports reporter at The Guardian in Prince Edward Island. He can be reached at jsimmonds@postmedia.com and followed on X @JpsportsJason.