Canada Overpowers New Zealand, advances to Rugby World Cup Final
BRISTOL, England: Canada secured a decisive 34-19 victory over defending champions New Zealand in the Rugby World Cup semi-final at Ashton Gate on Friday, earning a place in next Saturday’s final.This win marks a important turning point for the Canadian team, who had previously lost all 17 prior matches against the Black Ferns.
Canada’s dominant performance, featuring five tries, ended New Zealand’s decade-long unbeaten streak in World Cup play. The Canadians entered the match with recent successes against New Zealand – a win in 2024 and a draw in Christchurch in May – and displayed a clear mental readiness to challenge the six-time champions.
“We arrived to this game like not being stressed about the event and not being stressed about like playing the Black Ferns. So that’s a big game changer for us,” explained Canada head coach Kevin Rouet. ”Especially the way we want to play the game if we don’t have the confidence it is going to be hard for us. So I like to see that in this team now and just like I’m pretty confident they’re going to have the same behavior arriving to the final.”
The first half saw Canada establish a commanding lead with tries from Justine pelletier, Asia Hogan-Rochester, Florence Symonds, and Sophie de goede. A try from Alex Tessier early in the second half extended their advantage, allowing them to withstand New Zealand’s subsequent attempts at a comeback.
Canada, who were runners-up in 2014, will now face either top-ranked England or France in the final, confident in their ability to claim their first World Cup title.
“I think we trust our processes,” said captain Alex Tessier. “We trust our preparation like Kevin said and it was confidence from minute one to minute 80 and I think that was a similar feeling that we had the two last matches that we had against them. I don’t think there’s any doubts in our head. We just really focus on what’s next and what’s the task at hand.”
Despite the defeat, New Zealand captain Kennedy Tukuafu emphasized the importance of building for the future. “I think we just make sure that we capitalise on the tournament,” Tukuafu stated. “this is the biggest Rugby World Cup that’s ever been. We’ve got more eyes on the game. with that, we just need to make sure that we’re tournament prepared… and make sure we’re making a positive impact on the future Black Ferns or future All Blacks even.”
