Friday night at BMO Field in Toronto delivered a 24-21 result that brought England's 41-match unbeaten run in WXV Global Series women's rugby to a close, with Canada taking the victory. A try from Semanutafa, touching down in the 77th minute, proved to be the margin that separated the two sides. With the final minutes ticking away, she carried the ball over the try line to hand Canada the lead — an advantage the host side held onto until the referee's final signal.

Tries from Bauder, Corrigan, and Menin rounded out the scoring for Canada. Three tries went England's way, with Maddie Feaunati, Zoe Harrison, and Sarah Bern each crossing the line.

A crowd of 18,621 spectators took their places in the stands despite overcast skies and persistent rain — a figure that stands as the highest single-game gate attendance recorded for a women's rugby match at any venue across North America. The previous record of 11,453 had been established on Aug. 1, 2025, during a World Cup warm-up fixture in Ottawa where Canada defeated the United States by a score of 42-10.

A 26-26 draw in Exeter had brought England's run of 39 consecutive victories to a halt, with Canada — positioned third in the rankings — responsible for that result the previous month. That result — a win, a loss, and a draw across three WXV Global Series fixtures played on European soil — represented Canada's full record for that tournament leg.

Prior to Friday's defeat, England had gone unbeaten for close to four years — a run stretching back to a 34-31 loss against New Zealand in the 2022 World Cup final, before the side went on to claim the most recent tournament title with a 33-13 victory over Canada.

Both Asia Hogan-Rochester and Sophie de Goede — the latter having claimed World Rugby's top women's player honour for 2025 — were restored to Canada's starting lineup for the test, having sat out the side's 21-5 defeat to France the previous month, with de Goede also serving as captain. Earning her first place in the starting lineup since the World Cup, Corrigan took the field as Taylor Perry and vice-captain Alex Tessier exchanged roles. Tessier lined up at fly-half for the first time this season, with Perry shifting across to inside centre.

A try appeared to be on the board for Moloney-MacDonald just six minutes in, only for the officials to disallow it on the grounds of a knock-on. For roughly ten minutes, Canada held territorial advantage without managing to breach the opposition's defensive line. Bauder converted from a position out wide to extend the home team's advantage to 5-0, while the kick for the extra points from de Goede drifted off to one side.

Three turnovers inside the attacking zone halted what had been a promising England comeback. At the 32nd-minute mark, a yellow card sent Royer off the pitch for Canada. Gathering the ball from beside the scrum, Feaunati drove forward and touched down. A goal from Harrison, arriving just past the half-hour mark, pushed England's advantage further ahead, with the kicks that followed each try both sailing through the posts.

Tessier was withdrawn from the contest before the half had run its course after sustaining an injury. Galvanised by Corrigan's wing run that yielded a converted try, Canada trimmed the deficit to two points at the start of the second half. Bern carried the ball into the end zone on England's following possession, extending the lead on the scoreboard, before a tap-in from Menin drew Canada level shortly after the hour.

A follow-up fixture between the two sides, part of what organizers have branded the Rugby Rematch Tour, is set for Ottawa on Oct. 23. Both nations — England and Canada — have already secured their places in the 2029 World Cup, scheduled to take place in Australia.

Friday's match marked a venue debut for the Canadian team at BMO Field — a Toronto stadium that serves as home ground for both Toronto FC in Major League Soccer and the Toronto Argonauts in the Canadian Football League.

The occasion also coincided with the retirement of Beukeboom, a second-row forward who earned 84 international caps across a 13-year stretch of international duty with Canada. No other rugby player in the country — across either the men's or women's sides of the sport — has earned more international caps. Beukeboom appeared at four Rugby World Cups, with two of those tournaments ending in a silver-medal finish, and was part of the side that claimed the 2024 Pacific Four Series title.

Separately, head coach Rouet's tenure was confirmed under a contract running to 2030.