Canada end England's 41-match unbeaten run with 24–21 victory at BMO Field

Canada ended England’s 41-match unbeaten run with a 24–21 victory at BMO Field in Toronto on Friday, handing the Red Roses their first defeat in four years and avenging last season’s Women’s Rugby World Cup final loss in the process.

The result delivered on a promise made by Canada scrum-half Olivia Apps back in September, when she told reporters that “everything we do this year is to beat England.” That single-mindedness, which can sometimes become a burden, instead proved to be a driving force for the hosts.

The win also kick-started the October leg of the WXV Global Series 2026 in dramatic fashion. It came after Canada had held England to a 26–26 draw in September — the first of three rematches of the Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 final — a result that left Canada’s players visibly frustrated at being instructed to kick the ball dead rather than chase a winner. Lock Sophie de Goede said she had “wanted to go for the win” and confronted head coach Kévin Rouet in the post-match press conference.

The atmosphere at BMO Field set the tone long before kick-off. Canada were greeted by a wall of noise and red flare smoke as 18,621 supporters — a new North American attendance record — packed the stadium. The ground visibly trembled as fans waved towels, and as Canada lock Laetitia Royer had written in a column earlier in the week, the hosts were intent on putting England in an “uncomfortable situation.”

The statistics bear out how Canada earned the victory. The home side enjoyed 55% possession, carried the ball 36 more times than England, and gained more post-contact metres — 173m to England’s 142m. Most telling of all was the line-break count: Canada made 16 to England’s four, a difference that captured the relentless forward momentum Rouet’s team maintained throughout.

Neither side was without fault. Both teams coughed up possession 15 times, and Canada conceded 15 penalties — making the win all the more impressive given the margins involved. Canada’s head coach acknowledged as much at full-time.

“When you’ve done it once, you want to do it twice,” Rouet said. “But to do it twice, you have to be serious. We have to enjoy this evening, but we have to go back to the grind tomorrow.”

Attention now turns to next Friday’s game in Ottawa. John Mitchell’s England side can now only draw the three-match series. With the world’s first- and third-ranked teams meeting knowing the stakes, the decider promises to be equally compelling.