The Canadian women’s senior 15s rugby team defeated England 24-21 at BMO Field in Toronto, in a rematch of last year’s World Cup. This marks the first time Canada has beaten England at home, ending the visitors’ record-breaking 41-game unbeaten streak across all competitions.
A year ago, Canada and England met in the Women’s Rugby World Cup final, where the Red Roses handled business with a 33-13 victory in London. While Canada’s goal of taking home gold didn’t come to fruition, the signs were there.
England has run through every team for most of the past decade, taking down international competition with ease, thanks to its mix of elite young talent and world-class veterans. However, Canada has found its own success, climbing the national ranks to third, just behind powerhouses New Zealand and England.
The Oct. 16 match between Canada and England drew a record-breaking 18,621 fans to BMO Field, packing the stadium for one of the most electric atmospheres the program has ever seen.
England didn’t waste any time as Claudia Moloney McDonald looked to score the game’s first try five minutes before it was ruled a knock-on. The next 10 minutes were a stalemate until Canada had England on their heels after a strong push up field, followed by quick hands out to Savannah Bauder for the first points of the game. BMO Field erupted as Canada secured the lead.
The reigning world champions came right back with a punch of their own, battering the hosts deep into their territory. However, Canada put up a fight, not letting anything easy get through, holding England until 30 minutes in, when Feunati scored following some costly Canadian mistakes.
By the end of the first half, England had tagged another try to extend their lead to 14-5 as the halftime whistle blew.
It didn’t take long for Canada to mount a comeback, as Alysha Corrigan made a brilliant kick retrieval to score the first try of the second half. The rest of the game was back and forth, with neither team wanting to go home with the loss. Shoshanah Seumanutafa scored a late try, bringing Canada within a few inches of the finish line after an amazing rally that saw Canada take advantage of a tiring English side. Fast forward a few more minutes and they had done it.
Canada took down the reigning world champions 24-21 in an instant classic that will surely be written into history books.
For the home side, it was about more than winning; it was about proving to the world they were here to stay and contend with the best of the best.
“I am just excited about the win, and I am proud of the girls tonight. It was a great game of rugby,” said Head Coach Kevin Rouet. “Beating England during the October window was our target but just after the game what I told them was as soon as you do it once, you want to do it twice.”