Canada and Scotland have both secured spots in the Women’s Rugby World Cup quarterfinals, with Scotland making it for the first time since 1998. Canada, with their sights set on the title, dominated Wales with a commanding 42-0 victory, showcasing an impressive performance with six tries. Meanwhile, Scotland triumphed over Fiji with a score of 29-15 in an intense match held in Manchester, England.
The Canadian and Scottish teams are set to face off next weekend to determine the Pool B winner, while Wales and Fiji will compete for a chance to depart England with a win.
Canada’s front five players delivered an exceptional performance, losing only two set-pieces – both lineout overthrows – and consistently pushing back every Wales scrum. Their strength and control around Salford Community Stadium allowed Canada to execute long phase plays and score a 15-meter rolling maul try.
Prop McKinley Hunt scored two tries, Brittany Kassil, her replacement, added one, and lock Sophie de Goede stood out as the player of the match with 20 carries, 10 tackles, and a perfect six-for-six kicking record.
Despite a strong start by Wales, spending the initial 10 minutes near the Canada 22, their efforts were not enough to match Canada’s power. In the first half alone, Canada made six incursions into the Wales 22, resulting in four remarkable tries within a span of 15 minutes.
The second half saw some disruptions as substitutions were made, and both teams received yellow cards. Canada’s No. 8 Gabrielle Senft had a potential try disallowed due to a knock-on, but a subsequent review led to Wales’ Georgia Evans being sin-binned for a high tackle.
Taking advantage of the numerical advantage, Canada capitalized with tries from flyhalf Taylor Perry and Brittany Kassil. Despite being down to 14 players after prop Olivia DeMerchant’s yellow card, Canada’s defense remained solid, preventing Wales from making any significant breakthroughs.
This victory marked Canada’s eighth consecutive win against Wales since 2007, with this match also being the third time Canada has held Wales scoreless during this winning streak.
