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J. Omokhuale (15'), de Goede (18', 54', 60'), S. Bauder (63')
Tries
M. Feaunati (7'), A. Cokayne (51'), E. Sing (79')
de Goede (15', 55', 64')
Conversions
Z. Harrison (8'), E. Sing (52')
Penalties
Z. Harrison (41')
Canada didn’t reinvent anything in Ottawa. They ran the same plan that cracked England in Toronto: win the wide channels, win the key moments, trust their leaders to close. It worked again because England’s fixes didn’t touch the root of the problem. Rejigging the backfield and promising tighter discipline are surface changes; Canada exposed the structure underneath.
This rematch was proof that the momentum swing in North America wasn’t a one-off. “As soon as you do it once, you want to do it twice,” said Kévin Rouet in the week, and his side delivered the repeat. England benched Ellie Kildunne, started Emma Sing at 15 and handed a wing jersey to Mia Venner. It didn’t deter Canada from kicking long, playing to space and flooding the edges off turnover or quick ruck. The pattern from Toronto held: when the game stretched, the red jerseys looked comfortable and the white ones ran out of answers.
The turn came straight after England finally got the game where they wanted it. A maul try to Amy Cokayne nudged them ahead early in the second half and, for a minute, the script looked different. Then Sophie de Goede took over. Canada didn’t chase the lead with panic; they squeezed. De Goede struck twice in six minutes, both finishes born of repeated gain-line wins, and when Savannah Bauder streaked in soon after the gap felt decisive. England had landed the first punch after halftime; Canada calmly threw three better ones.
Why? Because Canada owned the edges again. Alysha Corrigan carved out three clean breaks and 66 metres, Asia Hogan-Rochester and Bauder kept turning one-on-ones into front-foot ball, and England’s scramble couldn’t stick enough first-up shots. The numbers back the picture: Canada had far more carries and four times the clean breaks, while England missed more tackles despite making more of them. The breakdown tilt mattered too; Canada pinched eight turnovers and repeatedly stalled England’s phase shape before it reached the tramlines.
CARRIES
CLEAN BREAKS
TACKLE
TACKLES MISSED
TURNOVERS WON
PENALTIES CONCEDED
POSSESSION
SCRUMS
LINEOUTS
England can point to set-piece stability, but a 100% return at scrum and lineout is empty calories if it doesn’t feed the scoreboard. The back-three reset didn’t add cutting edge or backfield cohesion. Jess Breach and Venner saw a single carry each all night. Sing worked hard and finished late for a consolation, but most of her 83 metres came under duress rather than from organised strike play. Kildunne’s bench cameo was quiet; the decision to prioritise security over spark reads like a reaction to Toronto, not a solution for Ottawa. With Shaun Edwards parachuted in on a short-term deal, the defensive system is being retuned on the fly, but the same faultline kept reappearing: once Canada got width or turnover ball, England’s spacing and decision-making frayed.
You felt the absence of Marlie Packer again in the grind. England have other carriers, but they lacked that on-field governor at the breakdown when Canada were stringing phases. Contrast that with de Goede’s control. She wasn’t just prolific — a 21-point, hat-trick captain’s performance that included 18 tackles — she set the emotional tone when the game went hot. Around her, DaLeaka Menin gave Canada reliable tight-five output and 14 carries, and Julia Omokhuale set the cadence early with a flanker’s finisher’s try. The leadership spine has been the difference across this series.
England’s best moments were familiar ones: the maul that put Cokayne over and an early surge from Maddie Feaunati off the back to open the night. Zoe Harrison kicked the corners when she could, but England didn’t manage the exits or the middle-third long enough to keep Canada off their tempo, and when the game loosened they were second best. The penalty count won’t look damning on paper, but the timing and locations of their infringements handed Canada invitations to attack with shape rather than from deep disorder.
Does the margin flatter anyone? If anything, it flatters England. Sing’s 79th-minute try trimmed things, but Canada already had the game locked after detonating that three-try burst just past the hour. The home side left points out there too: de Goede hit only three of five conversions and Canada coughed up 17 penalties, the one piece of looseness that gave England field position without forcing it.
Canada leave Ottawa with more than a sweep; they leave with a clear, repeatable template against a rival they’ve chased for years. Edge attack, composure late, de Goede’s hand on the tiller. Tidy up the goal-kicking and shave the penalty count, and this blueprint travels. England head to New Jersey knowing the set piece still hums, but that’s not where this contest is being lost. They need clarity in the back three, a steadier backfield under pressure, and a breakdown voice to stitch their defence together. The USA won’t target them the same way as Canada, but the questions are now obvious — and they won’t go away on selection alone.
