Friday's WXV Global Series women's rugby fixture at BMO Field ended 24-21 in Canada's favour, bringing down England's unbeaten record across 42 matches in the competition — a sequence of 41 games without defeat accumulated over the course of the series. A try from Semanutafa, crossing the line with three minutes remaining, provided the margin that separated the two sides. She sprinted along the touchline with the ball and touched down beyond the line to hand Canada the lead, an advantage the home side held until the final whistle.
Three further touchdowns for Canada were registered by Savannah Bauder, Alysha Corrigan, and Daleaka Menin. Three tries went England's way, with Maddie Feaunati, Zoe Harrison, and Sarah Bern each crossing the line.
A turnout of 18,621 at the venue pushed the standalone attendance record for a women's rugby fixture in North America to a new high, despite overcast skies and cold temperatures on the day. The previous record of 11,453 had been established at an Ottawa venue on Aug. 1, 2025, when a World Cup warm-up fixture between Canada and the United States ended with the host nation winning 42–10.
England's 39-match winning streak had already come to an end at Exeter, where a 26-26 scoreline against Canada — the third-ranked side at the time — ended that run a month prior. That result — a single win, a single defeat, and a single draw across three WXV Global Series fixtures played on European soil — represented Canada's overall record for the tournament leg. Prior to that defeat, England had gone unbeaten for roughly 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 — holder of the 2025 World Rugby women's player of the year award — were restored to Canada's starting lineup for the test, having sat out the side's 21-5 defeat to France the previous month. Corrigan, earning her first place in the starting lineup since the World Cup, took the field as Taylor Perry and vice-captain Alex Tessier exchanged their respective positions. Tessier lined up at fly-half for the first time in the current season, with Perry shifting across to inside centre.
A try put on the board by Moloney-MacDonald for England in the sixth minute was subsequently disallowed after match officials determined a knock-on had occurred. For roughly ten minutes, Canada held territorial advantage without breaching the opposition's defensive line. A goal from Bauder pushed the lead out to five unanswered points.
A shot attempted by De Goede veered away from its intended mark. At the 32nd-minute mark, a yellow card forced Royer off the pitch for Canada. Gathering the ball from the edge of 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 finding their mark on both occasions.
Tessier was withdrawn before the half had run its course after sustaining an injury. Corrigan's run down the touchline resulted in a try, and when the conversion went over, Canada's two-point deficit at the start of the second period was reduced. Bern added to England's tally on the possession that followed, carrying the ball over the line. Menin extended Canada's tally with a close-range touchdown push at the 63rd minute.
A follow-up fixture between the two sides, part of what organizers have branded the Rugby Rematch Tour, is scheduled for Ottawa on Oct. 23. Beukeboom's career as a second-row forward came to a close with a retirement announcement, while Rouet received a contract extension keeping him in the head coaching role through 2030. Preparations across various national squads are under way with the 2029 World Cup in Australia set as the target horizon, with both England and Canada having already secured their places in the tournament.
BMO Field, which serves as the home ground for both Major League Soccer's Toronto FC and the Canadian Football League's Toronto Argonauts, was hosting the Canadian team for the first time. Across a 13-year stretch representing Canada at the international level, Beukeboom accumulated 84 appearances for the national programme. Her cap tally across the country's rugby programme — spanning both the men's and women's sides — stands higher than any other player's. Four appearances at Rugby World Cups marked Beukeboom's international tournament record, with two of those campaigns ending as runner-up. Her contributions extended to the Pacific Four Series, where Canada claimed the 2024 title.
