Canadian women edge top-ranked England in rematch of last year’s World Cup final

Canada ended top-ranked England’s 41-match undefeated run with a gritty 24-21 comeback win in WXV Global Series women’s rugby play on Friday.

Trailing 21-19, Canada pulled ahead in the 78th minute when Shoshanah Seumanutufa scored in the corner to cap a string of Canadian attacks.

The third-ranked Canadians put a dent in the Red Roses’ aura of invincibility last month when they drew 26-26 in Exeter, ending England’s 39-match winning streak,

On Friday, they finished the job on home soil with a spirited second-half comeback.

It was a heavyweight scrap, long on intensity but often short on execution. There were errors aplenty.

There was also excitement as the Canadians came on strong in the second half, looking to close the gap. England showed its character – and set-piece superiority – in the face of the Canadian surge.

Friday’s contest, on a cool evening at BMO Field, was the first for the Canadian women in the Toronto area since a pair of losses to England in nearby Oakville in August 2011.

And the crowd was up for it, with the noise level rising every time the Canadians moved up the field.

Savannah Bauder, Alysha Corrigan and DaLeaka Menin also scored tries for Canada. Sophie de Goede kicked two conversions.

Maddie Feaunati, Zoe Harrison and Sarah Bern scored tries for England. Harrison added three conversions for the Red Roses.

Canada and England each stand at 2-1-1 in WXV play.

Both teams bent but didn’t break in the early going. Canada held off the English time and time again in the first half, pulling ahead 5-0 before England scored a pair of late tries to lead 14-5 at the break.

Canada struck early in the second half with Corrigan retrieving her own grubber kick for an elegant converted try that cut the lead to 14-12.

Bern crashed over three minutes later for a 21-12 England lead.

Canada attacked in waves and Menin, a hard-nosed prop, went over from close range in the 64th minute to cut the England lead to 21-19.

The two teams meet again next Friday in Ottawa.

Canada halted England’s record winning streak at 39 matches in a frenetic 26-26 draw on Sept. 19 in Exeter. That marked their first meeting since the September 2025 World Cup final when the Red Roses prevailed 33-13 before a women’s record crowd of 81,885 at Twickenham’s Allianz Stadium.

Attendance Friday was announced at 18,621, a North American record for a women’s rugby match, according to Rugby Canada.

The Canadian women’s previous record home attendance was 11,453 for the August 2025 game against the U.S. in Ottawa, the last time they played on home soil.

The Canadian men drew a Canadian-record 20,396 when they hosted Ireland at BMO Field in June 2013. Attendance for the Canada-Maori All Blacks men’s game at Vancouver’s B.C. Place in November 2017 was higher (29,480) but the game was not considered an official international test match.

The North American record for a men’s rugby game is 68,173, set at last month’s match between New Zealand’s All Blacks and South Africa’s Springboks at Baltimore’s M&T Bank Stadium.

The Canadian women’s soccer team drew an announced crowd of just 12,112 for a 4-3 friendly loss to Denmark at BMO Field on Monday.

England had not lost since Nov. 12, 2022, when it was beaten 34-21 by co-host New Zealand in the final of the pandemic-delayed 2021 World Cup. Come Friday, that unbeaten run stood at 1,434 days.

England had won 70 of its previous 72 tests dating back to 2018 (the other defeat was a 28-13 loss to New Zealand in July 2019).

The Red Roses came into the Toronto match with a 34-3-2 career record against Canada and were 11-0-0 on Canadian soil including – most recently – a 21-12 decision in WXV play in Vancouver in October 2024.

Last month’s draw ended Canada’s string of 14 losses to England since a 52-17 win in July 2016. It also left a significant dent in the Red Roses’ aura of invincibility.

England subsequently needed a late try to edge No. 2 New Zealand 26-19. Canada was beaten 21-5 by fourth-ranked France on Sept. 26 in La Rochelle.

In taking charge of Friday’s match, French referee Aurélie Groizeleau became the fourth female to referee 50 tests.

A sixth-minute try by England’s Claudia Moloney-MacDonald was waved off after video review determined the wing had not touched the ball down cleanly. At the other end, a Canada attack fizzled at the goal-line.

With Harrison in the sin-bin for 10 minutes for too many England penalties, Canada took advantage when Bauder scored in the corner on an overlap for a 5-0 lead in the 16th minute.

Influential Canadian fly half Alex Tessier was replaced in the 30th minute after a head injury assessment. Lock Laetitia Royer was sin-binned soon after as Canada was dinged for persistent infractions

With Canada down a player in the scrum, England scored off the set piece with Feaunati bulling her way over in the 33rd minute for a converted try and 7-5 England lead.

Harrison cut through the Canadian defence in the 38th minute to add to the lead.

The Canadian starting 15 went into the game with a combined 387 caps with the eight replacements on the bench totalling 299 caps.

England’s starting 15 had a combined 780 caps with another 291 caps on the bench.

Veteran Canadian forward Tyson Beukeboom, who announced her retirement earlier Friday, was honoured before kickoff. The 35-year-old lock from Uxbridge, Ont., leaves as Canada’s most capped player with 84 appearances after making her debut against England in July 2013.

Beukeboom, who represented Canada at four World Cups, was enveloped in a group hug as the Canadian women came off the field from their warmup.