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Canada Ends England Women’s Rugby Team’s 41-Match Unbeaten Run

England's 41-match unbeaten run ended by Canada

Rugby players in action during a nighttime match in Manchester, England.

Photo by Ollie Craig on Pexels

What changed

Canada beat England 24-21 in Toronto, ending the Red Roses’ 41-match unbeaten run. Shoshanah Seumanutafa scored the winning try three minutes from time, after England had led 14-5 at half-time.

The 18,621 crowd set a record for a standalone women’s fixture in North America. Canada’s win was also its first against England since 2016.

Why it matters

England’s long unbeaten run is over, and Canada has become the first team to beat them since New Zealand in the 2022 World Cup final. The result turned a match England appeared to control into a sharp warning about how quickly this rivalry can swing.

Canada had already drawn 26-26 with England in September, ending a 39-match England winning run. This time, the hosts finished the job: Savannah Bauder opened the scoring while Zoe Harrison was sin-binned, Alysha Corrigan added a solo try, and DaLeaka Menin’s converted score set up the late surge.

The rematch comes in Ottawa on 23 October. That game will show whether Toronto was a one-off shock or the start of a genuinely tighter contest between the two sides.

Sources (1)
  1. BBC SportEngland's 41-match unbeaten run ended by Canada

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