Shoshanah Semanutafa scored the go-ahead try in the 77th minute, and Canada held on for a 24-21 victory over top-ranked England in a WXV Global Series match in Toronto. The result ended the Red Roses’ 41-game unbeaten streak.
The host side earned the win before a boisterous home crowd at BMO Field, and this result was much sweeter for Canada than its earlier triumph over England in the same month.
Semanutafa raced down the wing and dived over the line to send the crowd of 18,621 spectators into a tizzy. The attendance set a new stand-alone record for a women’s rugby match in North America. The previous mark of 11,453 was set on Aug. 1, 2025, when Canada beat the United States 42-10 in a World Cup warm-up match in Ottawa.
Canada grinds out the result
“There were lots of ups and downs throughout that game and we really had to grind it out and find a way,” said Canadian captain Sophie de Goede. “That’s kind of the DNA of our team and our group.
“So I think, more than anything, I feel proud of the way that we found a way to win that game. It wasn’t easy.”
Savannah Bauder, Alysha Corrigan and Daleaka Menin also scored tries for Canada, which missed two conversion attempts. Maddie Feaunati, Zoe Harrison and Sarah Bern crossed for England.
“I told them as soon as you do it once, you want to do it twice,” said Canadian head coach Kevin Rouet. “That’s something we have to focus on.”
A rematch with history
The third-ranked Canadian side ended England’s 39-game winning streak on Sept. 19, when the teams played to a 26-26 draw in Exeter. That result was part of a 1-1-1 showing for Canada over three WXV Global Series matches in Europe.
England, which beat Canada 33-13 in last year’s World Cup final, had not lost since dropping a 34-31 decision to New Zealand in the 2022 World Cup final.
“Sometimes the flipped coin doesn’t go on the side you want it to go,” said England captain Meg Jones. “It’s just the nature of the beast, and we go again.”
Lineup changes and early action
Asia Hogan-Rochester and de Goede, the 2025 World Rugby women’s player of the year, returned to the starting 15 after missing Canada’s 21-5 loss to France last month. Corrigan started for the first time since the World Cup, while Taylor Perry and vice-captain Alex Tessier swapped positions. Perry moved to inside centre, and Tessier played fly-half for the first time this year before leaving early due to injury.
England’s Claudia Moloney-MacDonald scored a try in the sixth minute, but officials ruled it was a knock-on. Canada controlled play for the next 10 minutes but struggled to get over the line. The host side finally found space out wide, and Bauder scored to make it 5-0. De Goede’s conversion attempt was wide.
England responded, but a few turnovers deep in the zone prevented a score. The breakthrough came in the 32nd minute, when Canada’s Laetitia Royer was off the field after a yellow card. Feaunati picked up the ball by the side of the scrum and rumbled over for the try. Harrison extended England’s lead in the 37th minute.
Second-half surge
After the halftime break, Corrigan put a charge into the crowd with a solo try that pulled Canada within two points. England answered on its next possession with a try from Bern. Menin then powered over the line for Canada in the 63rd minute, setting up a tense finish that ended with Semanutafa’s decisive score.
“It’s how you respond now when you’ve had a loss,” Jones said. “I think that’s the biggest test of character.”
Busy week for Canada
It was a busy few days off the field for the Canadian team leading up to the game. Rouet had his contract extended through 2030, and second-row forward Tyson Beukeboom announced her retirement. Beukeboom earned 84 caps for Canada over a 13-year international career and is the country’s most-capped rugby player across both the men’s and women’s games.
The match also marked the Canadian team’s first-ever appearance at BMO Field, the home of Major League Soccer’s Toronto FC and the Canadian Football League’s Toronto Argonauts.
The teams will continue what organizers are calling the Rugby Rematch Tour on Oct. 23 in Ottawa. Teams are building over the four-year cycle ahead of the 2029 World Cup in Australia, and England and Canada have already qualified.