Canada's late try ends England Red Roses' 41-match unbeaten run in Toronto

England’s Red Roses saw their 41-match unbeaten run come to an abrupt end on Saturday, falling 24-21 to Canada in Toronto in their WXV Global Series clash. Substitute Shoshanah Seumanutafa crossed in the 77th minute to seal a famous home victory, capping a dramatic late rally from the Canadians.

The hosts had opened the scoring through Savannah Bauder in the 15th minute, but England appeared to have steadied themselves before half-time. Quickfire tries from Maddie Feaunati and Zoe Harrison put the Red Roses 14-5 ahead at the break, and both sides continued to trade scores after the restart.

DaLeaka Menin’s try in the 63rd minute kept Canada firmly in contention, and a raucous home crowd in Toronto was rewarded when Seumanutafa came off the bench to deliver the decisive score. Canada held on from there to complete a result that ends a historic England streak stretching back over three years — a run that had included a draw against Canada in Exeter just last month.

Head coach John Mitchell was measured in his response after the final whistle, insisting the defeat would serve as a catalyst rather than a setback.

“We’re not driven by outcome,” Mitchell said. “We’re disappointed by the result but there were some very good things in our performance tonight. So we’ll stick to our processes.”

Mitchell acknowledged the loss could ultimately prove useful for his squad’s development. “I guess [the loss] frees us up and allows us all to find more. I know this group has got more in them but sometimes it requires the context that we’ve just received to dig deeper and find something more.”

England will have an immediate opportunity for revenge when the two sides meet again next Saturday in Ottawa, before the Red Roses complete the away leg of their WXV Global Series schedule against the USA in New Jersey on October 30.