Canada Ends England Rugby Unbeaten Run with Thrilling Toronto Win

UPDATE - follow-up to England's 41-match unbeaten run ended by Canada: Shoshanah Seumanutafa scored a dramatic late try with three minutes left to give Canada a 24-21 victory over England in Toronto, ending the Red Roses' 41-match unbeaten streak.

Match Details

Played in front of 18,621 fans at BMO Field—a record crowd for a standalone women's fixture in North America—the match saw Canada fight back from a 14-5 half-time deficit. Savannah Bauder opened the scoring for the hosts in the 15th minute while Zoe Harrison was in the sin-bin, before Maddie Feaunati and Harrison crossed for England. Alysha Corrigan and Sarah Bern traded tries early in the second half, and DaLeaka Menin brought Canada within reach with a converted score after the hour mark. A late handling error put Harrison's clearing kick under pressure from midfield, allowing replacement Seumanutafa to race down the left wing for the winning try. Sophie de Goede kicked two conversions for Canada, while Harrison converted all three of England's tries.

Reactions

England head coach John Mitchell suffered his first defeat since his appointment, noting that the loss frees his team up to find more depth. Captain Meg Jones stressed that the squad remains world champions and number one, urging her teammates to stick together and respond quickly. For Canada, captain De Goede and scrum-half Justine Pelletier celebrated a historic home win that followed their September draw in Exeter.

Context

International rugby rivalries often feature intense physical battles where narrow margins decide outcomes, and world champions frequently face heightened pressure from competitive opponents. England and Canada will meet again in Ottawa on Friday, 23 October, before the Red Roses finish their WXV Global Series campaign against the USA in New Jersey on 30 October.