PREVIEW – Rugby Canada v England Rugby will be the very last game of the WXV 1 tournament. These two teams will also meet for the very first time since their last encounter in the inaugural WXV 1 tournament approximately a year ago. England only needs a draw to win the WXV 1 tournament while Canada will need a win, after failing to get the bonus point against Ireland. From the WXV 1 rankings provided by World Rugby. England is ranked first in the world while Canada is ranked second in the world.
Rugby Canada v England Rugby: Two WXV 1 Rugby Union Titans
England Rugby (5-0-0)
England Rugby aka the Red Roses, has been in its best form, probably in its entire national team history, as they remain unbeaten since 2022. The England Rugby team, via the Red Roses has a chance to remain unbeaten for a second-straight year in a row with either a win or a draw against Canada. Either result will give England the second straight WXV 1 trophy.
This is what England Rugby head coach, John Mitchell, said about the win over the Black Ferns (Source: Alastair Telfer of BBC):
“When the girls are on it, they are on it. They are a very special group and for large parts of that game they were on it,” Mitchell said. “We have a responsibility and standard around our last pass, so it was really good to see that executed today.”
This might have been the try of the game as Ellie Kildunne scored two of the nine tries, with Abby Dow also scoring two tries and Jessica Breach scoring three tries in the game.
Rugby Canada (5-0-0)
Like England Rugby, aka the Red Roses, Rugby Canada women’s national team is in its best form in its national team’s history. Like England, Canada has won all their games so far this year. Against France, they showed their offensive display, and against Ireland, Canada showed their defensive strength. It was also Rori Wood’s first game with the national team as she made her debut against Ireland on Saturday (Rugby Canada Press Release):
“I was just so excited to get out on the field and do my job, I had to flip a switch pretty quickly, but I had the support from everyone around me,” said Wood.
Additionally, this is what head coach, Kévin Rouet, said about the game against Ireland and the game coming up against England (Source: Rugby Canada Press Release):
“Next game is against England, the best team in the world,” said head coach Rouet. “We are in the place we want to be after two games with two wins, to be able to win WXV next week. We made some rotations to the lineup and used a lot of players today, so it is exciting to see good performances from players across our whole squad.”
Canada will hope to have a complete performance against England, as they have a very rare opportunity to grab the WXV 1 trophy as the best team in the world at home.
READ MORE: Rugby Canada’s Speed and Lineout Were Elite
Players To Watch for Both Teams
READ MORE: Rugby Canada Defence – Big Reason for Win Against Irish Rugby
Abigail Dow will be a player to watch for England, she has stepped for the English team many times in her career, including scoring two tries against New Zealand and was also nominated as the World Rugby Women’s 15s Player of the Year in 2023. In addition, Marlie Packer, was the World Rugby Women’s 15s Player of the Year in 2023.
There are a lot of other players to watch out for as well as England aka well-known Red Roses player, Marlie Packer, said this about the new captain, Alex Matthews, and her performance against USA (Source: Ruck):
“Alex is a really well-respected member of our squad, when she does speak, people listen. Alex doesn’t like speaking often, so it was more of a case of making sure that I gave all the information that she needed, and she felt comfortable when needing to speak,” Packer said. “But I think she did the role fantastically, and actually, on the pitch, she just led by example, and that’s how she got Player of the Match again. She’s playing some unreal rugby at the moment. Sometimes the best kind of leadership is just, follow my actions, follow my lead. I think she did a great job there.”
When talking about Canada, Alexandra Tessier is a player that comes to mind as she played well, converting on the only two kicks she had to convert against Ireland, with one of them coming from long distance. Also, it is important to watch for the players that won silver for the women’s 7’s team for Canada, as three of those players have scored tries with Fancy Bermudez, Asia Hogan-Rochester, and now Alysha Corrigan, who recently scored a try against New Zealand aka the Black Ferns.
READ MORE: Kévin Rouet: The Women’s 15’s Rugby Canada Head Coach
Head-To-Head Between Rugby Canada and England Rugby
READ MORE: 2024 Rugby Canada WXV 1: Momentum Is High Heading Into BC
Unfortunately, Rugby Canada, or the Canadian women’s rugby union 15s team, has not had a good record historically against England aka the Red Roses. In fact, Canada’s last three losses, which happened late last year, all came from facing England. They also lost a memorable game against the Red Roses in the 2021 Rugby World Cup (women’s). England holds a commanding 3-1-32 lead over Canada all-time. The last time Canada defeated England was in the 2016 Women’s Rugby Super Series by a scoreline of 52-17. Since then though England has won 12 straight games against Canada.
All hope is not lost though. Canada defeated New Zealand, aka the Black Ferns, for the first time in its national team’s history earlier this year in the 2024 Pacific Four Series. They have also shown that they are an all-around world-class team that can deliver both offensively and defensively in this 2024 WXV 1 competition.
Fans can watch this unforgettable game at BC Place at 10:00pm ET (7:00pm PT) in Vancouver, British Columbia on Saturday. The game will be televised nationally on TSN, and it will also be shown live on the streaming service, TSN+.
READ MORE: Rugby Canada Matchday Roster
READ MORE: England Rugby Matchday Roster
Photo Credit: Rugby Canada X Account on October 10, 2024.
