ANALYSIS – Rugby Canada ended England Rugby’s 41-game unbeaten run, making history at BMO Field. England last lost in the 2022 Women’s Rugby World Cup final to New Zealand.
Rugby Canada Women’s National Team Makes History with First GTA Game Played Since 2011
Alysha Corrigan Had A Fantastic Game
Alysha Corrigan was injured during the September window of the WXV Global Series. This was her first game back from injury, and she was exceptional. She and many other players made key defensive plays that kept England from scoring a try.
- She almost scored a try early on but was tackled just in time by England’s Zoe Harrison.
- Alysha Corrigan probably scored the best individual try of the game. She kicked the ball forward, ran to it, and crossed for the try.
This is what Kévin Rouet said about Alysha Corrigan’s performance when asked by the writer of this article:
“She’s confident now. She’s experienced, and she knows those England players. She plays in England, so I think she was excited to play. And, yeah, she showcased on offence and defence, definitely.”
Corrigan currently plays for the Saracens Women’s team. Her day-to-day experience there is what Rouet is talking about. He gave high praise for Corrigan’s performance on Friday.
Rugby Canada’s Passing and Speed Was Top-Notch
Rugby Canada scored many of their tries by finding space and converting it. The best example might be the game-winning try. Sophie de Goede delivered a sublime pass to Gabrielle Senft, who immediately passed to Shoshanah Seumanutafa for the game-winning try. It came in the 78th minute and gave Canada the win.
- Sophie de Goede found Olivia Apps with a great pass, as Apps scored a try.
- Apps and Corrigan’s speed gave England a lot of trouble throughout the game. This was especially true in the second half.
As the game went on, the pressure Canada was able to apply and exploit was too much for the solid defence of England (the Red Roses).
Rugby Canada’s Defence Was Excellent Today Against the Red Roses
The biggest reason Canada won against England might have been their defence. They did not allow England to score for close to 30 minutes of the first half. They also gave up only one try in the second half. Some of the other examples include:
- Rachel Smith made a great defensive play in the 25th minute.
- Brittany Kassil and Asia Hogan-Rochester both made incredible defensive plays.
Another example is Kiki Idowu stealing the ball late in the game. Also, Canada time and time again delivered when they were under pressure and did not give England many chances to score, as they forced the Red Roses to turn over the ball.
This is what Rugby Canada player Justine Pelletier said about the defence on Friday in the post-game:
“So, I think we were ruthless in that zone in defence. So, shout out to our defence for protecting our zone.”
Throughout the game, you could see the intensity of Canada’s backline as they did everything possible to keep England from scoring. That hard work paid off as Canada ended England’s 41-game unbeaten run.
Other Factors: Canada’s Bench Stepped Up and England’s Performance
The bench played really well today. They played so well that Rugby Canada captain Sophie de Goede gave praise to the bench, as she said this in response to Richard Bond of Postmedia’s question:
“Yeah, for sure. I think the impact of our subs was massive in the second half. They brought so much energy.”
Canada’s bench stepped up against England on Friday. This included Gabrielle Senft passing the ball to Shoshanah Seumanutafa for the try. Other players also played well, with Brittany Kassil making great defensive plays.
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DaLeaka Menin also earned player of the match on Friday’s game. This included scoring a try from a ruck, as she was exceptional.
It must be said, though, that it was only a three-point game. Despite Zoe Harrison getting that yellow card in the first half, she played well defensively and scored one of England’s tries. This is what Red Roses head coach, John Mitchell, said about it:
“Zoe’s a very accomplished kicker, goal kicker, generally hits grass a lot as a fly-half. She’s dependable, digs in, reads shoulders really well, and serves her teammates well. And she’s a very experienced player as well.”
Harrison scored the game-winning try in England’s previous game against New Zealand.
What The Game Meant
Toronto is a sports city with many professional sports teams. Unfortunately, rugby has a painful recent history. They lost the Toronto Arrows (professional men’s rugby union team) at the end of 2023 and the Toronto Wolfpack (professional men’s rugby league team), seemed to have folded without any mention.
Many of Toronto’s well-known international events at BMO Field featured the men’s national team. Even then, the last time Rugby Canada hosted a men’s national team game at BMO Field was on June 26, 2016.
Also, the last time the Rugby Canada women’s national team played in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) before this game was at Appelby College in Oakville, Ontario, in 2011, which was also against England. However, none of that mattered on Friday as over 18,000 fans attended the high-profile game between Canada and England, as Sophie De Goede said:
“Hearing the crowd get behind us was genuinely a TSN turning point. We’re so fortunate to have matches like this at home and to have this support. We’ve just talked about the resilience that this team has shown over and over again, whether it be as individuals in our training, going overseas to play, finding ways to connect with each other; in every facet off the field we show resiliency, and it’s got to translate on field, and I think we showed that at the end, we showed real resiliency to get the win.”
The crowd was vocal, friendly, and loud as they cheered for their team. The noise was so loud that the cameras were shaking in the stadium. This atmosphere showed how much Toronto loves rugby and how much they are starved for other rugby union games to be played at the venue.
Within the last few years, Toronto has gotten professional women’s ice hockey, soccer, and basketball teams. The city has transformed from having a semi-pro women’s ice hockey team to having three fully professional teams in three different sports.
Tyson Beukeboom and Games Coming Up for Both Teams
A few hours before the game kicked off, Beukeboom announced her retirement from the international rugby union scene. This is what Rouet said about Beukeboom’s importance to the national team, as he had high praise:
“She was there before us. She built this team. And Tyson is an amazing player on the field and off the field. I love her because she’s a tough leader,” Rouet said. “And on the field, like, she’s relentless on defence, and she’s the most amazing player. She was part of how we played. Like, she’s a second row who can play rugby, and that’s amazing to see. And she was the start of the way we want to play, and she was an amazing, good link.”
Canada is going to miss Beukeboom’s services as she played a key part in building the team, as she is also the most capped player in Rugby Canada women’s national team history.
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Rugby Canada still has one more game to play this year. It will once again be against England on October 23. The game will take place at 7:00 pm ET (4:00 pm PT or 12:00 am BST). One can watch the game nationally on TSN and TSN Premium. England Rugby will still have one more game after this, as they will play USA Rugby at Sports Illustrated Stadium in Harrison, New Jersey. The game kicks off on October 30 at 2:12 pm ET (11:12 am PT or 7:12 pm BST).
Photo Credit: Rugby Canada, October 16, 2026.
