Canada ended England’s unprecedented 41-game unbeaten run in women’s rugby with a 24-21 victory at the WXV tournament in Toronto on Friday. Played before 18,621 spectators—the biggest crowd for a standalone women’s match in North America—the fixture saw Shoshanah Seumanutafa score a decisive 78th-minute try to secure the milestone result.
Fantasy & Market Impact
- Player Valuation: Canada captain Sophie de Goede, the world player of the year, cements her status following her return from rest.
- Betting Futures: England showed vulnerability last month when it drew with Canada 26-26, proving the England defensive structure can be breached under intense physical pressure.
- Attendance Metrics: The 18,621 spectators in Toronto validate commercial investments in North American women’s international fixtures, signaling strong future gate-receipt potential for upcoming test windows.
Unpacking the Tactical Breakdown in Toronto
England controlled significant territory early, but Canada was unable to handle England’s scrum. The visitors opened the scoring sequences despite early stumbles, including Claudia Moloney-MacDonald dropping the ball over the tryline. Canada capitalized on numbers following a Zoe Harrison yellow card for fullback Savannah Bauder, translating the overlap into a clinical three-on-one finish.
INCREDIBLE SCENES 🤩Canada have beaten England in Toronto, ending their 41 match unbeaten run!#WXV | #WXVGlobal pic.twitter.com/P7EH6h9h5A
The England team fought back through relentless phase-play. Following a sin-binning to Canada lock Laetitia Royer, England answered with tries from Maddie Feaunati and Harrison to establish a 14-5 halftime advantage. England later extended their lead to 21-12 after a 12-phase sequence that culminated in prop Sarah Bern smashing over the tryline.
| Match Metric | Canada | England |
|---|---|---|
| Final Score | 24 | 21 |
| Halftime Score | 5 | 14 |
| Unbeaten Streak Broken | N/A | 41 Games |
| Attendance | 18,621 | |
Resilience and the Decisive Late Surge
Despite being plagued by forward passes, Canada maintained defensive discipline. Alysha Corrigan narrowed the gap in the second half by collecting her own grubber kick to score. Moments later, prop DaLeaka Menin—one of three Canada survivors from its last win over England 10 years ago—powered over to cut the gap to two again.
The turning point arrived when England failed to find touch from a penalty clearance. Canada gathered the ball from its half, setting up an incisive sweep. De Goede and Gabrielle Senft combined to put Seumanutafa into space, allowing the winger to beat the cover to the left corner flag in the 78th minute.
We really had to grind it out and find a way,
Canada captain Sophie de Goede said after the fixture. That’s kind of the DNA of our team.
The defeat marks England’s 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 stated. It’s just the nature of the beast.
Global WXV Context and Next Fixtures
The international calendar moves swiftly following the result in Toronto. Both sides go again in Ottawa next Friday. Meanwhile, in other WXV action across the globe, New Zealand dominated France 81-12 in Hamilton behind four tries from winger Shyrah Tuliau-Tua’a, while Australia defeated Scotland 56-12 in Sydney.
