Canada Completes Ottawa Rematch Sweep Over England

Canada beat England 31-22 at TD Place in Ottawa on Friday night, completing the Ottawa rematch sweep and handing the reigning world champions consecutive defeats for the first time in a decade. The win closed the Rugby Rematch Tour, presented by Canadian Tire, with Canada unbeaten across the home fixtures after a 24-21 victory in Toronto the previous week.

The result continued a remarkable run against the top-ranked side in the world. Toronto had ended England's 41-match unbeaten run, while a draw in Exeter in September 2025 had ended a 39-match winning run. England had not lost consecutive matches since 2016, according to Sportsnet, and Canada has now beaten the Red Roses twice in eight days.

More than thirteen thousand supporters filled TD Place for the Ottawa fixture, surpassing the city's previous women's rugby attendance mark. The Toronto crowd the week before had set a North American record for a women's rugby match, and the home dates marked Canada's return to home soil since finishing second at last year's World Cup.

How the match unfolded

England opened the scoring through Maddie Feaunati in the eighth minute, with Zoe Harrison converting for an early lead. Canada answered through a set-piece move finished by Julia Omokhuale, and Sophie de Goede's conversion levelled the score. A loose ball then gave Gabrielle Senft room to break downfield before offloading to de Goede, who finished in the corner to give Canada a 12-7 advantage at halftime.

England came out firing after the break, with Harrison slotting a penalty before Amy Cokayne crossed for a converted try that put the visitors ahead. Canada responded quickly, as Florence Symonds made ground before de Goede broke through the middle to score, adding the conversion to restore the lead in the 55th minute.

Canada seized control from there. A dominant lineout maul drove the hosts over the line, with DaLeaka Menin finishing to score in the 61st minute, continuing a run of scoring in consecutive games against England. Savannah Bauder then thrilled the Ottawa crowd with a powerful break down the sideline in the 64th minute to push the lead further. Emma Sing crossed for a late England try in the final moments, but a missed conversion left the margin unchanged and the final whistle confirmed the win.

Omokhuale, named player of the match, called the crowd the team's "16th player" and said seeing the next generation watch Canada beat England at home was exciting for grassroots rugby. Captain Sophie de Goede described the squad as "immensely proud" of the performance on home soil, and said backing up the Toronto win with another strong showing was something the players would hold on to until they regroup.

What the sweep means

Head coach Kevin Rouet said the goal for the October home dates had been strong performances in both matches, and that securing the wins was a major step for a squad still bringing new players into the environment. He added that the team was "not a finished product" yet, with the next World Cup in Australia in 2029 as the long-term target, as reported by Rugby Canada.

The win also retained the Utrecht Shield, women's rugby's lineal world title, which traces an unbroken chain back to the earliest women's international in 1982, when France beat the Netherlands in Utrecht. Canada took the shield with the Toronto victory and kept it with the Ottawa result.

For England, the defeat leaves head coach John Mitchell's side searching for answers before the next fixture. Captain Meg Jones said after the match that England were not broken and needed to grow from the defeat, according to Sky Sports. England wrap up their WXV Global Series campaign against the United States in New Jersey on Friday.

Canada's players will now disperse, with many returning to professional clubs overseas. The team's next 15s match is scheduled for April 2027, when the side returns for the Pacific Four Series. Select players will also prepare for the HSBC SVNS Series later this fall, with tournaments scheduled for November 28-29 in Dubai and December 5-6 in Cape Town.

The home wins cap a year of growth for women's rugby in Canada. Olivia Apps, who played in the World Cup final loss to England, said the support over the past fortnight had been incredible and that the squad had felt the backing of the rugby community since the World Cup campaign. Emma Sing, speaking for England, said it was inspiring to see such large crowds and that the home support gave Canada extra energy. Full coverage of the match is available from Sportsnet and Sky Sports.

Elsewhere in sport this weekend, GenZ NewZ covered Skye Blakely's two bronzes at the gymnastics world championships, the Brewers' series-opening win over the Rays, and Tottenham's victory at Chelsea, where a James Maddison injury overshadowed the result.