Over the course of four years, the England women's rugby side went undefeated across a run of 41 consecutive fixtures. Friday's match brought Canada's unbeaten stretch to an end.
A dash along the left touchline by Shoshanah Seumanutafa, with three minutes on the clock, delivered the try that settled a 24-21 result at BMO Field, ending an England unbeaten run stretching back to their opening fixture after the 2022 World Cup and giving Canada their first victory over that opponent since 2016. The match was witnessed by 18,621 people, the largest attendance on record for a women's international rugby match in North America.
The two nations had previously met in the 2025 Women's World Cup final. Canadian captain Sophie De Goede described the effort as something she valued, noting that the team had to work through considerable difficulty across the full eighty minutes.
England held the advantage for most of the contest, yet Canada sustained pressure throughout the second half to claim a victory — only the fourth time in the two nations' head-to-head history dating back to their first meeting in 1983. De Goede noted that substitutes introduced after the break brought fresh energy and helped turn the tide. The most recent prior encounter between the sides, held in England in September, had finished level at 26-26.
That 33-13 defeat in the World Cup final, which came before Friday's match, sits within a broader arc of development for the Canadian programme.
A grounding error by Claudia Moloney-MacDonald in the try area saw a potential England score ruled out just five minutes into the match. With seven minutes left before the break, Maddie Feaunati collected possession from a scrum planted deep inside Canada's half and drove over the line from close range.
A converted kick by Harrison pushed England's tally to seven points, edging them two clear of the opposition's five. Five metres out, Harrison drove over the line and pushed England's lead out to 14-5 within two minutes of the score.
Royer's penalty call left Canada with one fewer player on the field. Bauder converted from the left channel to push Canada's advantage to five goals, a margin that had opened up roughly ten minutes after Harrison's dismissal left England with a reduced side.
Corrigan gathered her own short kick-ahead to pull Canada back into contention at the start of the second half. That conversion by De Goede pushed the tally to 14 points for one side against 12 for the other. Sustained pressure from England's attacking pack along the Canadian try line culminated in Sarah Bern dotting down.
Menin's try brought Canada to 21-19, trimming the deficit to two points. That margin held across the final fifteen minutes before Seumanutafa added a late score to settle the outcome, a stretch De Goede described as carrying considerable pressure for the team.
England head coach John Mitchell noted that his side's defensive discipline held firm through the opening half, though he pointed to a drop in consistency after the break as an area that fell short of expectations. Substitute Justine Pelletier reached the milestone of 50 caps for Canada during the contest.
A contract extension keeping Rouet in the coaching role through 2030 was formalised earlier this week, a deal that places him at the helm of the Canadian side for the 2029 World Cup. Tyson Beukeboom's retirement became official in the hours before Friday drew to a close.
Across the full span of Canadian rugby history, no player — man or woman — has pulled on the national jersey more often than the Uxbridge-born athlete, whose 84 caps stand as the all-time record for the programme. Game five of the series is scheduled for TD Place in Ottawa, with the two clubs meeting there next Friday.
