Auckland, New Zealand – Canada delivered a stunning upset, defeating reigning champions New Zealand 31-7 to advance to the Rugby World Cup final.
The match began with a frantic pace, but Canada quickly established dominance and maintained control throughout. Early pressure yielded a try from Emily Pelletier, capitalizing on a kick out on the full by Renee Holmes, after Tessier collected a chip-ahead. Shortly after, Sarah Hogan-Rochester extended Canada’s lead, breezing past Holmes to make it 12-0 within the first 12 minutes.
New Zealand struggled to respond, with Alana bremner dropping the ball during a promising attack and Canada’s strong ground game consistently thwarting their efforts. Canada continued to build momentum, earning a penalty through the work of Sophie De Goede at the breakdown, and then saw Symonds score a third try following smart hands from Tessier.
Prop Tanya Kalounivale finally broke through for New Zealand, scoring their first try, but Canada remained firmly in control, leading 24-7 at halftime. The Canadians’ discipline was also evident,having conceded no penalties to New Zealand’s five by the break.
Tessier added another try immediately after the restart, further solidifying Canada’s position. Despite a more determined second-half performance from New Zealand, they were unable to close the gap.
De Goede secured another try off a skillful offload from Pelletier,and later added a penalty to extend Canada’s lead beyond two converted scores. She nearly set up Alysha Corrigan for another try following a late intercept.
The final moments saw Canadian supporters celebrating their team’s victory with chants of “Canada, Canada” and illuminated mobile phone torches, as the stadium DJ played songs by Canadian artist Shania Twain.
