Canada beat England 31-22 in Ottawa to complete home double

Canada defeated England 31-22 at TD Place Stadium in Ottawa on Friday, October 23, completing a second home victory over the reigning women's rugby world champions in eight days. The WXV Global Series result followed Canada's 24-21 success in Toronto and concluded the Canadian leg of the teams' autumn meetings.

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Sophie de Goede scored three tries, and England suffered consecutive defeats for the first time in a decade, The Guardian reported. The Ottawa match was the third meeting between the sides this autumn, according to Rugby Canada, and the second fixture of the two-match Rugby Rematch Tour on Canadian soil.

The home double followed a particularly significant breakthrough at BMO Field. Rugby Canada's report of the October 16 match recorded a crowd of 18,621 and described the victory as Canada's first against England at home. The hosts had trailed 14-5 at half-time before overturning that deficit, with Shoshanah Seumanutafa scoring the decisive late try. Alysha Corrigan and DaLeaka Menin also crossed during Canada's second-half recovery.

Canada made several selection adjustments for Ottawa. In its team announcement, Rugby Canada confirmed Taylor Perry's return to fly-half and Seumanutafa's promotion to the starting side at inside centre. Gabrielle Senft also moved into the starting lineup, while Caroline Crossley was named among the replacements. De Goede was selected in the second row, with Olivia Apps at scrum-half and Savannah Bauder at full-back.

Head coach Kevin Rouet had stressed before the finale that winning in Toronto had not removed the need for improvement. According to Rugby Canada's announcement, preparations focused on correcting aspects of the team's performance while allowing players time to recover. The October fixtures were Canada's first home appearances since finishing runners-up at the 2025 Women's Rugby World Cup, giving the squad two opportunities to face the champions in front of Canadian supporters.

England's North American schedule continues with a match against the United States on October 30. World Rugby lists that WXV Global Series fixture at Sports Illustrated Stadium in Harrison, New Jersey. For Canada, the Ottawa result completed the two home matches that Rugby Canada had arranged in Toronto and the national capital.