PREVIEW – Rugby Canada v England Rugby will meet again in two months. England is on a 41-game unbeaten run, with their only draw in that run coming against Canada last month.
Note: Both teams’ records in their last five games are wins-draws-losses.
Rugby Canada v England Rugby: History Being Made in Toronto
History is being made with this game in Canada. It will be the first time a senior national team has played in Canada since June 26, 2016, when Rugby Canada played against England Rugby at BMO Field.
The last time the Rugby Canada women’s senior national team played in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) was back in 2011. The Nations Cup 2011 was held at Appleby College, Oakville, Canada.
Eight games were played in Ontario, with six of them at Appleby College, Oakville, Canada. Within that tournament, Canada actually faced England twice in Oakville at Appleby College. They lost a group stage game to England by a scoreline of 22-10 on August 9, 2011, and then lost in the final against England by a scoreline of 41-19 on August 13, 2011.
Rugby Canada (2-1-2)
Rugby Canada’s last game was against France Rugby. They lost that game 21-5 at Stade Marcel-Deflandre in La Rochelle, France.
This is what Rugby Canada head coach Kévin Rouet said about the loss against France, according to the Rugby Canada website:
“We have been focusing on chasing the number one, and I think today we did not present ourselves to the best of our ability. That does not define us, but consistency is the key to being number one,” said Head Coach Kévin Rouet. “Today, we were not able to be accurate or consistent in our performance. We take full accountability for that, and I will give credit to France on their performance today.”
France put on a masterclass defensive performance as Canada only had one try the entire game. In fact, Canada did not score a single try in the second half as France pulled away for a 21-5 win.
READ MORE: Asia Hogan-Rochester: A Key Rugby Canada Wing Player
England Rugby (4-1-0)
England Rugby (Red Roses) last game was against New Zealand Rugby (Black Ferns). It was a classic game.
Zoe Harrison scored a try late in the game to give her team the thrilling 26-19 win. This is what she said about the win, according to The Guardian:
They are the defending Rugby World Cup champions, England, as they beat Canada in the finals last year. England has not lost since the 2021 Rugby Women’s World Cup against New Zealand. They will face Canada two more times in October.
READ MORE: Rugby Canada and Exeter Chiefs Prop: DaLeaka Menin
Head-to-Head
In the England and Canada head-to-head matchups, England have won 34 games, Canada has won three, and two matches ended in draws.
The last game between Canada and England ended in a draw at Sandy Park. It was a back-and-forth game between both sides. England started to dominate the game in the latter stages of the match but were unable to convert on a try.
They were not satisfied with the draw, though, as this was said by Rugby Canada head coach Kévin Rouet of the Rugby Canada website:
“I like that post-match the team isn’t content with a draw. I wish we could’ve secured that win against England, but we’ll take the draw for today,” said Rouet, Head Coach of Canada’s Women’s Rugby Team. “I’m very proud of the defence today. I think we spent the last 20 minutes defending the line, and it was good to see that effort. The mindset is there, and while we often praise our attack, today, I want to praise our defence in that key moment. I think it’s amazing to see the girls rising on both sides of the play.”
This shows that Canada is looking to win at least one of the two games in October. The Red Roses head coach, John Mitchell, talked about the rare disappointment of not getting a win, according to Robert Kitson, for The Guardian:
“We were certainly in a ding-dong, weren’t we?” said the head coach. “I thought we owned a lot of the second half. We were applying huge pressure, but we just didn’t convert. Greater things will come as a result of this. One Test match isn’t going to take us away from our purpose.”
England also faced Canada in the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup Final, where England won by a scoreline of 33-13, and became Rugby World Cup champions for just the second time in national team history.
READ MORE: Rugby Canada Earned A Historic Draw At Sandy Park
How To Watch The Game
Big congratulations to Emily Clark for making her debut for Rugby Canada against France in late September.
On October 16, an important game will take place at BMO Field at 7:00 pm ET (4:00 pm PT). Rugby Canada will face England Rugby, and TSN and RDS will televise the game live.
Photo Credit: Rugby Canada Facebook Page on September 19, 2026.
