Canadian women beat U.S. 42-10 in final home game before Rugby World Cup
Canada scored 28 unanswered points in the second half to dispatch the United States 42-10 Friday in its final home game before heading to Europe for the Rugby World Cup later this month.
The second-ranked Canadian women extended their winning streak against the 10th-ranked U.S. to 11 straight games, but it took time to subdue a determined American side in a physical, frenetic contest before an announced crowd of 11,453 at TD Place Stadium.
Rugby Canada called the attendance a record for a North American standalone women's rugby match.
Canada has one more World Cup tune-up on Aug. 9 against No. 5 Ireland in Dublin. The team is scheduled to fly from Toronto on Saturday.
Canada, which finished fourth at the last World Cup in November 2022, opens World Cup play in England against No. 14 Fiji on Aug. 23 in York, then face No. 9 Wales on Aug. 30 in Manchester and No. 7 Scotland on Sept. 6 in Exeter.
The U.S. will play in Group A at the World Cup, drawn with No. 1 England, No. 8 Australia and No. 15 Samoa.
WATCH l Shift in mindset in Canadian women's rugby 15s:
McKinley Hunt, Gabby Senft, Olivia DeMerchant, Florence Symonds and Mikiela Nelson scored tries for Canada, which was also awarded a penalty try. Sophie de Goede, in her first start since having knee surgery, kicked four conversions. Julia Schell added a conversion.
Freda Tafuna scored the lone try for the U.S. McKenzie Hawkins booted a conversion and a penalty.
"Obviously a bit of a slow start for us ... but we came on strong in the second half and finished the job pretty well, I would say," said Canada captain Alex Tessier.
The Canadian women have won four straight, improving to 5-0-1 this year. They hold a 29-19 edge over the Americans in the all-time series, having won 11 in a row since a 20-18 loss in July 2019 in Chula Vista, Calif.
Canada, missing some of its top players, won 26-14 the last time they met, May 2 in Pacific Four Series play in Kansas City.
Canada led 14-10 after a fast-paced first half Friday that saw a yellow card shown to each team. The Canadian attack was blunted by handling errors, penalties and some resolute American defence.
De Goede returned to the starting lineup, after making a 20-minute cameo off the bench July 12 in a 33-5 win over the 12th-ranked Springbok women in South Africa. That marked the first action for the 26-year-old from Victoria since tearing her anterior cruciate ligament on June 21, 2024, in a non-contact scrimmage against the U.S. on the final day of a Canada sevens camp.
Normally a back-rower, de Goede partnered veteran Tyson Beukeboom in the second row with Laetitia Royer nursing an injury.
The Americans went ahead in the second minute, retrieving the ball of their own kickoff and launching a multi-phase attack that ended with Tafuna bulling her way over from close range in the second minute for a converted try.
De Goede was sent to the sin bin in the 12th minute for an illegal cleanout of American centre Alev Kelter at the breakdown, forcing Canada to play a woman short for 10 minutes. Already trailing 7-0, Canada avoided giving up points while down a player, however.
Canada pulled even at 7-7 in the 27th minute on a penalty try awarded by Australia referee Ella Goldsmith after repeated U.S. infractions during a Canadian attack at the goal-line. American lock Hallie Taufoou was sent to the sin bin on the play.
Down a player, the U.S. went ahead 10-7 in the 32nd minute on a Hawkins penalty with Canada called for a high tackle.
Helped by a U.S. penalty, Canada went ahead on the stroke of halftime as Hunt touched down for a try that was confirmed by the television match official.
Canada conceded 11 penalties to the Americans' five in the first half. But the tables turned in the second half with 15 calls against the U.S. and just five against the Canadians.
American wing Cheta Emba was sin-binned in the 42nd minute for a deliberate knock-down of a pass that snuffed out a promising Canadian attack. Canada kicked to touch on the ensuing penalty and Senft scored from the back of the maul from the lineout with the conversion upping the Canadian lead to 21-10.
A de Goede try in the 59th minute was negated by an obstruction call against veteran flanker Karen Paquin.
Canada got tries from DeMerchant in the 63rd minute, Symonds in the 65th and Nelson in the 75th as Canada's bench turned up the heat.
The Americans were coming off a 31-24 win over Fiji on July 19 in Washington, D.C., snapping a seven-game losing streak.
Canada is 15-5-1 since finishing fourth at the last World Cup. Four of the losses were to England, with the other to No. 3 New Zealand. Canada and New Zealand played to a 27-27 tie in May in Pacific Four Series play.
cbc.ca
