In front of a record-breaking crowd in Toronto, Canadian rugby produced one of the most remarkable results in modern international history as a late try from replacement Shoshanah Seumanutafa secured a dramatic 24-21 victory over England in the WXV Global Series. The result brought a sensational end to England’s 41-match unbeaten streak, marking the first time the world champions have suffered defeat since falling to New Zealand in the World Cup final in November 2022.
Playing before 18,621 spectators at Toronto’s stadium—a record crowd for a standalone women’s rugby fixture in North America—Canada delivered a relentless performance that overturned a nine-point second-half deficit. Seumanutafa’s decisive moment came three minutes from full-time, finishing off a sweep down the left flank after Canada capitalized on an England handling error deep in their own territory.
The triumph represents a monumental milestone for Canadian rugby. Beyond halting England’s long-standing unbeaten run, it marks Canada’s first victory over the Red Roses since 2016 and their first-ever triumph against England on home soil, having lost all 11 of their previous home encounters against the visiting side. It also marks the first defeat for England head coach John Mitchell since his appointment in late 2023.
The dramatic conclusion in Toronto builds upon a growing rivalry between the two nations. Just weeks earlier in September, Canada had halted England’s 39-match winning streak with a tense 26-26 draw in Exeter. This time, Kevin Rouet’s side went one step further, proving that their ability to match the world’s top-ranked side was no isolated occurrence.
A Tense and Physical Battle in Toronto
The match opened with intense physicality as England sought to establish early dominance. The Red Roses appeared to have taken an early lead when Claudia Moloney-MacDonald crossed the line, but the try was promptly ruled out following a review that detected a knock-on during the grounding.
Canada’s defense held firm under sustained pressure, denying the world champions any points for the opening half-hour. The momentum swung in Canada’s favor in the 13th minute when England fly-half Zoe Harrison was shown a yellow card. Capitalizing immediately on the player advantage, Canada pressed into England’s 22, allowing Savannah Bauder to cross the line in the 15th minute to open the scoring at 5-0.
England struggled to find their usual clinical touch in the opposition 22, hampered by disciplined Canadian defense and their own handling errors. However, after Canadian second-row Laetitia Royer was sin-binned in the 30th minute for a breakdown infringement, the Red Roses seized control before the break.
Maddie Feaunati forced her way over for England’s opening try in the 32nd minute, and Harrison—having returned from the sin-bin—struck soon after to score under the posts. Harrison converted both scores, sending England into the half-time break with a 14-5 lead.
Canada emerged for the second half with renewed intensity. Early in the half, Alysha Corrigan produced a moment of individual brilliance, slicing through the English defensive line for a stylish solo try to cut the deficit.
England responded swiftly to re-establish their authority. Prop Sarah Bern crashed over for a converted score, restoring England’s nine-point cushion at 21-12 and looking to put the contest out of reach.
Yet Canada refused to buckle. Approaching the final quarter of the match, Canada mounted a sustained period of heavy attacking play. Just past the hour mark, prop DaLeaka Menin powered through a tight English defense to score a converted try, bringing the hosts within two points at 21-19 and setting up a thrilling finish.
The decisive moment arrived with just three minutes remaining on the clock. Pressure from Canada forced a handling error during a pass back to fly-half Harrison, putting her clearing kick under immediate duress. Canada gathered the ball near halfway and immediately shifted play wide. Replacement back Seumanutafa found space down the left touchline, outracing the cover defense to dive over for the game-winning try, sending the home crowd into raptures.
Warning Signs and Uncharted Territory for England
For England, the defeat comes after a series of warning signs during their WXV Global Series warm-up matches in September, where the team showed uncharacteristic vulnerability despite winning two of their three fixtures.
In their September match against Australia, England found themselves trailing at half-time for the first time since 2020 before rallying with seven second-half tries to secure a 48-15 win. The following week brought the 26-26 draw against Canada in Exeter, followed by a tight 26-19 victory over New Zealand at Twickenham that required a try with the clock in the red to pull through.
In Toronto, those defensive discipline issues and clinical shortcomings in the opposition red zone finally proved fatal. Multiple defensive penalties repeatedly gave Canada easy field position, while crucial handling errors prevented England from capitalizing on early territory.
The loss places many within the Red Roses squad in completely unfamiliar territory. A large portion of the current group had never tasted defeat in a senior international jersey. Winger Jess Breach, for instance, saw her remarkable streak of 59 consecutive undefeated international appearances come to an end.
Despite the setback, England head coach John Mitchell remained calm about the result, focusing on the broader development of his team ahead of future challenges.
"We’re not driven by outcome. We’re disappointed by the result but there was some very good things in our performance. So we’ll stick to our processes," Mitchell said after experiencing his first loss in charge of the team. "I guess [the loss] frees us up and allows us to find more. I know this group has got more in them. Sometimes it requires the context that we’ve just received to dig deeper and find something more."
England captain Meg Jones echoed her head coach’s constructive sentiment, emphasizing that the team remains the top-ranked side in world rugby and must adapt to the growing challenge from rival nations.
"Stick together, look out for each other, and we go again," Jones remarked. "We’ve got to remember, there’s a target on our back continuously. Everyone’s got that underdog mentality, that underdog fight. We’ve got to be in a position now where we’ve got to be the quickest to respond. That’s the nature of the game."
Jones added: "What an amazing achievement for us as a group. I think they will go down in history as one of the best sporting teams. We’re still world champions, we’re still number one, and we’ll still keep pushing to be the best we possibly can."
Belief and Vindication for Canada
For Canada, the victory represents the culmination of years of belief and tactical development under head coach Kevin Rouet. Captain Sophie de Goede had previously spoken about the lingering pain of Canada’s defeat to England in the 2025 World Cup final, as well as her frustration following September’s draw in Exeter when Canada opted to kick the ball dead to secure the draw rather than play for the win.
In Toronto, however, Canada proved they could not only compete with the world’s benchmark team, but actively hunt down a victory in the closing minutes. De Goede noted that her squad demonstrated the true "DNA of our team" by staying composed and finding a way to win under extreme pressure.
Canada scrum-half Justine Pelletier emphasized the broader impact of the historic night for the sport in North America.
"It’s a little bit more than just the score at the end because we won on so many levels," Pelletier said. "Off the field, the crowd, being home. That win at the end on the pitch was just the cherry on top. It was good to beat England but I think for a few years now, we knew that we could beat them. It was just a matter of time and a matter of putting every detail together."
Looking Ahead in the WXV Global Series
The two sides will not have to wait long to renew their rivalry. England and Canada are scheduled to meet again in Ottawa on Friday, 23 October (early hours of Saturday UK time), where the Red Roses will be eager to respond to their first defeat in nearly two years.
Following the Ottawa fixture, England will conclude their 2026 WXV Global Series campaign against the United States in New Jersey on Friday, 30 October at 21:15 GMT.
Match Summary
- Final Score: Canada 24 – 21 England (Half-time: 5–14)
- Canada Tries: Bauder, Corrigan, Menin, Seumanutafa
- Canada Conversions: De Goede (2)
- Canada Sin-bin: Royer (30)
- England Tries: Feaunati, Harrison, Bern
- England Conversions: Harrison (3)
- England Sin-bin: Harrison (13)
Lineups
Canada: Savannah Bauder; Alysha Corrigan, Fancy Symonds, Shoshanah Perry, Magali Hogan-Rochester; Alexandra Tessier, Olivia Apps; Brittany Nelson, Sara Idowu, DaLeaka Menin, Sophie de Goede (c), Laetitia Royer, Gabrielle Smith, Temitope Omokhuale, Fabian Gibson.
Replacements: Emily Tuttosi, Brittany Kassil, Mikiela Rempel, Laetitia Forteza, Pamphinette Buisa, Gabrielle Senft, Justine Pelletier, Shoshanah Seumanutafa.
England: Ellie Kildunne; Jess Breach, Meg Jones (c), Tatyana Heard, Claudia Moloney-MacDonald; Zoe Harrison, Lucy Packer; Hannah Botterman, Amy Cokayne, Sarah Bern, Abbie Talling, Lilli Ives Campion, Georgia Burton, Alex Matthews, Maddie Feaunati.
Replacements: Lark Atkin-Davies/Field, Mackenzie Carson, Maud Muir, Morwenna Short, Sadia Kabeya, Natasha Hunt, Helena Rowland, Emma Sing.
