Canada Beat England 24-21 in Toronto, Ending the Red Roses' 41-Match Unbeaten Run
A bench try from Shoshanah Seumanutafa with two minutes left turned a 14-5 half-time deficit into a famous win in front of 18,621 fans, a record for women's rugby in North America.
Saturday, October 17, 2026/2 min read
Canada did what no one had done in four years. At BMO Field in Toronto on Friday night, the home side beat England 24-21 in the WXV Global Series, ending the Red Roses' run of 41 matches without defeat, according to Sky Sports. It was England's first loss since the 2022 World Cup final.
England looked in control at the break. Maddie Feaunati scored in the first half and Zoe Harrison finished a team move before half-time, giving the visitors a 14-5 lead after Savannah Bauder had opened the scoring for Canada in the corner.
How did Canada come back to beat England?
Both sides scored soon after the restart, and the home team kept pressing. Dalika Menin scored in the 63rd minute, per Sky, and then came the winner. Shoshanah Seumanutafa, off the bench, crossed in the 77th minute, with two minutes left, to put Canada ahead for good.
The Guardian's report, relayed by UA News, noted that England had a try by Claudia Moloney-MacDonald ruled out for failing to ground the ball, and that Menin was named player of the match. The crowd was 18,621, described as a record for women's rugby in North America.
How long had England been unbeaten?
The streak stretched over four years and 41 matches, and the 2022 World Cup final was the last time England had lost. Canada had already dented the aura a month earlier, when the teams drew 26-26 in Exeter and ended England's winning run, as the Guardian recalled. This time they finished the job. Canada's previous win over England came in 2016.
Sky said Canada scored its opening try in the 15th minute through Bauder, and that both sides found the line again just after half-time, so the comeback was built over 40 minutes rather than in one rush. The Guardian listed Sarah Bern among England's try scorers and Alysha Corrigan among Canada's, and said Seumanutafa's try came with two minutes left.
England head coach John Mitchell said, "We're not driven by outcome," calling the result disappointing but pointing to positives in the performance. Canada's Justine Pelletier said the win meant more than the score, and that the team had believed for a few years that it could beat England.
When do Canada and England play again?
The rematch comes quickly. The two sides meet in Ottawa next Saturday, 23 October, and England then play the United States in New Jersey on 30 October.
For Canada, the challenge now is to prove Toronto was a start rather than a peak. For England, the pressure is the opposite: a team that had not lost in four years has a week to find out whether the streak was a habit or a fortress, and Ottawa will not wait.
Published in The Outspoken Digest
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