Seumanutafa seals Canada comeback to end England unbeaten run in Toronto

Canada defeated England 24-21 in Toronto on Friday, with replacement Shoshanah Seumanutafa scoring the decisive late try to end the world champions' unbeaten run. The WXV Global Series victory came at BMO Field after the hosts recovered from a 14-5 half-time deficit. Canadian Press reporting carried by Sportsnet confirmed the result and the four Canadian try scorers.

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The occasion also set an attendance milestone. The Canadian Press reported that 18,621 spectators attended despite cold, damp conditions, establishing a North American record for a standalone women's rugby match. This was Canada's first appearance at BMO Field, adding a new venue to the rivalry between the teams that contested the 2025 Women's Rugby World Cup final.

England had an early scoring opportunity denied when Claudia Moloney-MacDonald failed to ground the ball, according to RugbyPass's account. Zoe Harrison subsequently received a yellow card, and Savannah Bauder opened Canada's scoring out wide. The visitors then benefited from Laetitia Royer's spell in the sin-bin: Maddie Feaunati and Harrison both crossed before the interval, with Harrison converting each try to put England nine points ahead.

Canada reduced the gap early in the second half through Alysha Corrigan, but Sarah Bern's response kept England in front. The hosts still had another comeback to make. DaLeaka Menin's try and Sophie de Goede's conversion cut the deficit to two points, leaving the result in doubt as the match entered its closing stages. England could no longer afford to concede another try.

RugbyPass reported that de Goede helped create the winning attack by drawing defenders before passing to Gabrielle Senft, who moved the ball on to Seumanutafa out wide. The replacement finished in the corner, and Canada protected their new lead until full-time. The late score completed a second-half turnaround against opponents they had held to a draw in Exeter in September.

The teams are scheduled to meet again on October 23 at TD Place in Ottawa, the second Canadian stop on the Rugby Rematch Tour. Rugby Canada said before the Toronto game that the two fixtures would be the team's first home appearances since finishing runners-up at last year's World Cup. Canada now heads into that second home match with a win over the reigning champions.