No, there is nothing wrong with whatever device you are reading this on. The 24-21 scoreline is correct. Yes, it finally happened.
England have lost a rugby game after four years and 41 games unbeaten. The defeat came at the hands of a passionate, resilient and impressive Canadian outfit who had made it clear they were out for revenge for last year’s World Cup loss. Canada had already ended England’s winning streak with a 26-26 draw in Exeter last month but that was not vengeance enough.
The scrum-half Olivia Apps said in the buildup to these matches that Canada had been doing everything they can in 2026 to make it possible to beat England and that is just what they did. It was Apps who was one of Canada’s standout players in a cold Toronto with Sophie de Goede her usual best and the player of the match DaLeaka Menin a hugely valuable asset. The gravity of this win comes with what Canada have ended, England’s dominance.
That stranglehold England have had in international rugby is underpinned by the fact that players like Jess Breach, who has played 60 games for her country, lost her first-ever game in a Red Roses shirt on Friday night. This result is down to Canada’s great performance but England had opportunities to make a difference on the scoreboard. Several tries went begging, the team’s first try coming after 30 minutes, and their defence just could not hold out the repeated attacks put forward by their rivals.
This Test also made history with a record North American crowd for a women’s rugby game with 18,621 in the stands at BMO Field in Toronto. The fans more than played their part in this landmark result for Canada, whose last home game was in August 2025. The game started fast and physical and England had an early score ruled out as Claudia Moloney-MacDonald did not have clean grounding.
That gave the hosts confidence which turned into attacking momentum. England put in a series of defensive efforts but they leaked penalties in the process which resulted in Zoe Harrison receiving a yellow card. Being a player up, Canada capitalised and Savannah Bauder scored with an attacking overlap in the corner.
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