Canada Name Matchday 23 for Friday Night Clash Against World #1 England in Toronto
Canada prepare for their Friday night match against England in Toronto at 7pm local time, 4pm on the west coast. Canada will be looking for their first win against England since 2016. There is one change in the tight five with Sophie de Goede getting the start in the second row. Rachel Smith moves from second row to blindside flanker and Fabiola Forteza moves to the bench. In the backs Alex Tessier starts at flyhalf and Taylor Perry moves to second receiver. Alysha Corrigan starts on the wing and Charity Williams is out of the match day 23. In the front row reserves Emily Tuttosi and Brittany Kassil are in, Taylor McKnight and Sophie McDonald are out. In the backline reserves Claire Gallagher and Aurora Bowie are out and Shoshanah Seumanutafa is in.
Below is the Rugby Canada media release and an extensive set of data points from World Rugby on the Canada v England rivalry and the ranking permutations of all the WXV games on this weekend.
from Rugby Canada
Canada’s Women’s Rugby Team is set for a historic homecoming in Toronto, as Head Coach Kevin Rouet has named the 23-player roster to face England on Friday, October 16, at BMO Field. In a highly anticipated rematch of the 2025 Rugby World Cup final, Canada will take the field in front of a record-breaking crowd of more than 18,000 fans, the largest ever for a standalone women’s rugby match in North American history.
The stage is set for a landmark night as Canada takes on the world’s top-ranked side in one of the most significant matches in Canadian rugby history. There are a limited number of tickets still available HERE.
“It’s been good to be back in Canada to practice and prepare knowing we will have a record-breaking crowd backing us on Friday night,” said Rouet. “These opportunities to play at home in front of our fans don’t come along very often, so we are focused on the fine details of our game and have been grinding the past few weeks to make sure we are ready. It’s going to be fun. We are excited to walk out of that tunnel on Friday.”
Friday’s match in Toronto the first of two games being played in Canada this October against the reigning World Cup champions from England. These next two matches will mark the first time the team plays on home soil since placing second at last year’s Rugby World Cup. The Rugby Rematch Tour, presented by Canadian Tire, will see also Canada face England next weekend on October 23 at TD Place in Ottawa.
Friday marks an extra-special homecoming for Toronto natives Asia Hogan-Rochester and Kiki Idowu, alongside fellow Ontarians Lizzie Gibson, Olivia Apps, Taylor Perry, Brittany Kassil and Brooke Rempel.
Asia Hogan-Rochester and captain Sophie de Goede both return to the starting fifteen after missing Canada’s last match against France. After missing the WXV Global Series matches in September due to injury, Alysha Corrigan returns to the starting lineup for the first time since last year’s Rugby World Cup.
Other notable roster changes include Perry and vice-captain Alex Tessier swapping positions, with Perry moving to inside centre and Tessier donning the number 10 jersey for the first time since Canada faced the USA at PAC4 in 2025. Kassil also returns from her two-match suspension and is available as an option off the bench.
WHERE TO WATCH
Coverage of Canada’s Rugby Rematch Tour match against England will be available on TSN2 and the TSN app starting at 4:00pm PT / 7:00pm ET. Limited tickets are still available HERE.
CANADA’S WOMEN’S RUGBY TEAM MATCH DAY ROSTER VS FRANCE
1. Mikiela Nelson (Vancouver, BC) – Capilano RFC (14 caps)
2. Kiki Idowu (Toronto, ON) – Loughborough Lightning / UBC Thunderbirds / Toronto Scottish (6 caps)
3. DaLeaka Menin (Vulcan, AB) – Exeter Chiefs / Calgary Hornets (75 caps)
4. Sophie de Goede (Victoria, BC) – Saracens / Castaway Wanderers (46 caps)
5. Laetitia Royer (Loretteville, QC) – St-Anne-de-Bellevue / Concordia University (28 caps)
6. Rachel Smith (South Surrey, BC) – Loughborough Lightning / UBC Thunderbirds (10 caps)
7. Julia Omokhuale (Calgary, AB) – Saracens / Calgary Irish Rugby Club (12 caps)
8. Lizzie Gibson (Caledon, ON) – Queen’s University / Oakville Crusaders (5 caps)
9. Olivia Apps (Lindsay, ON) – Saracens / Lindsay RFC (28 caps)
10. Alexandra Tessier (Sainte-Clotilde-de-Horton, QC) – Exeter Chiefs / Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue (71 caps)
11. Asia Hogan-Rochester (Toronto, ON) – Toronto Nomads / Westshore RFC (14 caps)
12. Taylor Perry (Oakville, ON) – Oakville Crusaders (29 caps)
13. Florence Symonds (Vancouver, BC) – Loughborough Lightning / UBC Thunderbirds (21 caps)
14. Alysha Corrigan (Charlottetown, PEI) – Saracens / CRFC (26 caps)
15. Savannah Bauder (North Vancouver, BC) – UBC Thunderbirds / Capilano RFC (2 caps)
FINISHERS
16. Emily Tuttosi (Souris, MB) – Calgary Hornets (45 caps)
17. Brittany Kassil (Guelph, ON) – Ontario West / Guelph Goats (57 caps)
18. Brooke Rempel (Ariss, ON) – Loughborough Lightning / Ontario West / Brantford Harlequins (5 caps)
19. Fabiola Forteza (Quebec City, QC) – Stade Bordelais / Club de rugby de Québec (45 caps)
20. Pamphinette Buisa (Gatineau, QC) – Loughborough Lightning / Ottawa Irish (24 caps)
21. Gabrielle Senft (Regina, SK) – Stade Bordelais / Castaway Wanderers (46 caps)
22. Justine Pelletier (Rivière-du-Loup, QC) – Stade Bordelais / Club de rugby de Québec (49 caps)
23. Shoshanah Seumanutafa (White Rock, BC) – Counties Manukau (28 caps)
Weekend Ranking Point Possibilities from World Rugby
CANADA (3) 88.16 v ENGLAND (1) 97.72
Canada win by 15 points or less – Canada 90.12, England 95.77
Canada win by more than 15 points – Canada 91.10, England 94.79
Draw – Canada 89.12, England 96.77
England win by 15 points or less – Canada , England
England win by more than 15 points – Canada 88.10, England 97.79
AUSTRALIA (7) 75.58 v SCOTLAND (9) 72.84
Australia win by 15 points or less – Australia 76.31, Scotland 72.12
Australia win by more than 15 points – Australia 76.67, Scotland 71.75
Draw – Australia 75.31, Scotland 73.12
Scotland win by 15 points or less – Australia 74.31, Scotland 74.12
Scotland win by more than 15 points – Australia 73.67, Scotland 74.75
NEW ZEALAND (2) 91.44 v FRANCE (4) 86.74
New Zealand win by 15 points or less – New Zealand 91.97, France 86.21
New Zealand win by more than 15 points – New Zealand 92.23, France 85.95
Draw – New Zealand 90.97, France 87.21
France win by 15 points or less – New Zealand 89.97, France 88.21
France win by more than 15 points – New Zealand 89.23, France 88.95
USA (6) 75.74 v ITALY (8) 73.75
USA win by 15 points or less – USA 76.54, Italy 72.95
USA win by more than 15 points – USA 76.94, Italy 72.55
Draw – USA 75.54, Italy 73.95
Italy win by 15 points or less – USA 74.54, Italy 74.95
Italy win by more than 15 points – USA 73.94, Italy 75.55
Canada v England Key Facts from World Rugby
FRIDAY, 16 OCTOBER
CANADA v ENGLAND
KO 19:00 – BMO STADIUM, TORONTO
The match will be streamed live on RugbyPass TV where no local broadcaster
DID YOU KNOW
- This will be the first time that the sides will meet in Toronto.
- The 26-26 draw between the sides in Exeter on 19 September was the second stalemate between the teams, the first having been 13-13 in the pool stage of Women’s Rugby World Cup 2014 in France which sent both teams into the semi-finals.
WORLD RUGBY WOMEN’S RANKINGS PERMUTATIONS
- Canada can only improve on third place if they beat England and New Zealand lose at home to France, a result which will see the Canadians replace the Black Ferns in second.
- Defeat will see Canada drop a place to fourth if France also beat New Zealand to leapfrog them.
- England can only gain a maximum of 0.07 rating points for beating Canada.
- However, a first defeat since the Women’s Rugby World Cup 2021 final could see the Red Roses’ advantage over the Black Ferns cut from 6.28 points to as little as 2.56 points if the margin in both matches is more than 15 points.
REFEREE NOTES
Aurélie Groizeleau (France)
Test debut: 27 February, 2018 – Netherlands 84-12 Belgium
Tests as referee: 49
- Aurélie Groizeleau will become the fourth female to referee 50 tests with this fixture, following in the footsteps of Sara Cox (England), Aimee Barrett-Theron (South Africa) and Hollie Davidson (Scotland).
- She joins Matthew Carley (England), Barrett-Theron and Davidson in reaching the milestone in 2026, taking the number in test history to 20.
- Groizeleau becomes the fifth French official to referee 50 tests after Romain Poite, Jérôme Garcès, Pascal Gaüzère and Mathieu Raynal.
- She will take charge of this fixture for the first time in what is a repeat of the Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 final.
- Canada have won all five of their previous tests with Groizeleau in the middle, including one this year – 24-0 over Australia in the Pacific Four Series in April.
- Their other wins have come against Wales, New Zealand, Ireland and Fiji.
- The victory over New Zealand – 22-19 in the Pacific Four Series in 2024 – was significant as it was Canada’s first-ever over the Black Ferns.
- England are also yet to taste defeat with the French official as referee, winning all 18 of their tests to date, including the 48-15 win over Australia in the opening WXV Global Series match in Manchester last month.
- She will referee these sides again when they meet at TD Place in Ottawa on 26 September.
- Groizeleau has now refereed six tests in 2026, having also taken charge of New Zealand’s 40-5 win over Australia in the Pacific Four Series, Ireland’s wins over Wales (33-12) and Scotland (54- 5) in the Guinness Women’s Six Nations and Australia’s 30-10 defeat of Scotland in the WXV Global Series last month.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
1993-2026 | Played 39 | Canada 3 | England 34 | Draw 2
Points for: Canada 520 / England 1,266 (Avg. score: 13-32)
Highest score: Canada 52 (52-17 on 1 July, 2016) / England 81 (81-15 on 16 May, 1998)
Biggest winning margin: Canada 35 (52-17 on 1 July, 2016) / England 74 (79-5 on 17 November, 2017)
First met: 10 June, 1993 – England 12-8 Canada – Wanderers Rugby Club, Ajax
PREVIOUS 10 MEETINGS
2018 England 27-19 Castle Park, Doncaster
2019 England 19-17 Chula Vista Elite Athlete Training Center, San Diego, USA
2021 England 51-12 Twickenham Stoop, Twickenham
2022 England (RWC 2021 SF) 26-19 Eden Park, Auckland, New Zealand
2023 England 50-24 Sandy Park, Exeter
2023 England 29-12 StoneX Stadium, London
2023 England (WXV) 45-12 Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin, New Zealand
2024 England (WXV) 21-12 BC Place, Vancouver
2025 England (RWC 2025 F) 33-13 Allianz Stadium, Twickenham
2026 Draw 26-26 Sandy Park, Exeter
- This is the 40th test between the teams in the 33-year history of the fixture.
- England’s 14-game winning streak against Canada ended in Exeter last month, when they were held to a 26-26 draw.
- The only previous draw between the teams was 13-13 in the pool stage of RWC 2014, a result which meant both progressed to the semi-finals in France.
- All of the points were scored in the first hour of the match at Sandy Park, with the eight tries shared equally between the teams.
- Claudia Moloney-MacDonald crossed twice for the Red Roses in the first half, either side of Hannah Botterman’s score, while Bryony Field added a fourth in the third quarter.
- Canada twice took the lead inside the opening 15 minutes, through Lizzie Gibson and DaLeaka Menin, before Menin struck again on the stroke of half-time to ensure the teams were all square at 19-19.
- Olivia Apps scored the final try of the match approaching the hour mark, Sophie de Goede converting for the third time, to match Zoe Harrison’s tally for England.
- England’s four-try return came from 13 entries into the Canadian 22, the Red Roses averaging just two points per entry. By contrast, Canada averaged 3.2 points per entry.
- Canada were able to make more ground beyond the gain-line than England, clocking up 286 post-contact metres to 252, despite carrying the ball fewer times (116-133).
- The last of Canada’s three wins was a decade ago on neutral soil in Salt Lake City: 52-16 in the Women’s Rugby Super Series on 1 July, 2016.
- It is the second-highest number of points the Red Roses have conceded in a test (behind 67 v New Zealand in 1997).
- England have won all 11 of their meetings on Canadian soil, which have been played in a host of cities but never before in Toronto.
- The last encounter in Canada was in WXV 1 in Vancouver, October 2024, and ended in a 21-12 win for the Red Roses at BC Place.
- England’s 33-13 win in the Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 final very nearly matches the average scoreline in the history of this fixture.
- Having conceded an early score to winger Asia Hogan-Rochester in that final at Allianz Stadium, tournament hosts England responded through a sensational solo score by Ellie Kildunne.
- Hooker Amy Cokayne and number eight Alex Matthews then crossed as John Mitchell’s side took control, with Sophie de Goede kicking a penalty to keep Canada within two scores.
- Abbie Ward grabbed the first try of the second half before Hogan-Rochester claimed her second score.
- However, Matthews’ second try from close range sealed the game for the Red Roses.
- Canada lost despite having a 60% share of possession and 57% of territory.
- Canada carried the ball 176 times for 872 metres compared to England’s 91/550.
- England were more incisive in attack though, with eight line-breaks to six against, and also hit harder in defence, with a dominant tackle count of 7-2 in their favour.
- The sides will meet again at TD Place in Ottawa next Friday.
CANADA LAST 10 TEST MATCHES
P10, W6, D1, L3 (World Ranking: 3)
Date Opponent Venue Result
06/09/25 Scotland (RWC 2025) Sandy Park, Exeter, England W 40-19
13/09/25 Australia (RWC 2025 QF) Ashton Gate Stadium, Bristol, England W 46-5
19/09/25 New Zealand (RWC 2025 SF) Ashton Gate Stadium, Bristol, England W 34-19
27/09/25 England (RWC 2025 F) Allianz Stadium, Twickenham L 33-13
11/04/26 Australia (PAC4) Heart Health Park, Sacramento, USA W 24-0
17/04/26 New Zealand (PAC4) CPKC Stadium, Kansas City, USA L 36-14
24/04/26 USA (PAC4) SeatGeek Stadium, Chicago W 50-12
12/09/26 Scotland (WXV) Hive Stadium, Edinburgh W 64-26
19/09/26 England (WXV) Sandy Park, Exeter D 26-26
26/09/25 France (WXV) Stade Marcel Deflandre, La Rochelle L 21-5
TEAM NOTES
- This is Canada’s first match on home soil since they beat USA 42-10 in a RWC 2025 warm-up match in Ottawa in August 2025.
- Canada have failed to win back-to-back tests (D1, L1) for the first time since they lost two games in a row to England in September 2023.
- Canada have only lost three of their last 19 tests (W14, D2, L3), but all three of those losses came in their last seven games, against England in the Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 final, New Zealand in the 2026 Pacific Four Series, and now France.
- The five points Canada managed in their defeat to France last time out was their lowest score in a test since being kept scoreless (36-0) by Les Bleues in the RWC 2021 bronze final.
- Lizzie Gibson scored her fourth try of the WXV Global Series in the loss to Les Bleues, and is the competition’s joint leading try scorer, along with three other players.
- Canada ended England’s record 39-match winning run when they held the Red Roses to a 26-26 draw in Exeter in their second match on 19 September.
- It was the first time in 10 years that Canada avoided defeat against England, the team that has twice denied them a first Women’s Rugby World Cup title (2014 and 2025).
- Canada twice took the lead inside the first 15 minutes to stun the 14,000-capacity crowd, with tries from Gibson and Player of the Match DaLeaka Menin and a Sophie de Goede conversion.
- The 12-5 lead was then wiped out as England moved 19-12 ahead, but Menin’s second, and De Goede’s conversion, made it 19-19 at the break.
- England opened up a seven-point gap on 54 minutes, but Canada found an almost immediate response through Olivia Apps.
- De Goede’s third conversion proved to be the final scoring act of a compelling match, which produced eight tries.
- The 38-point winning margin against Scotland in their WXV Global Series opener a week earlier fell just four points short of Canada’s record in the fixture.
- Canada won comfortably (64-26) despite losing Brittany Kassil to a 20-minute red card after the break for a high tackle on Meryl Smith.
- For an eight-minute period, Canada were down to 13 players when Gabrielle Senft was sent to the sin-bin.
- Kassil scored one of Canada’s 10 tries at Hive Stadium, with Lizzie Gibson and Player of the Match Olivia Apps getting two apiece.
- It was a fine way for veteran Apps to mark her return to the team for the first time since Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025.
- Julia Omokhuale, Taylor Perry, Justine Pelletier, Gabrielle Senft and debutant Savannah Bauder scored the remainder of Canada’s tries.
- Canada finished runners-up to New Zealand in the Pacific Four Series in April.
- They led the Black Ferns 14-5 at half-time but conceded 31 unanswered points after the break.
- Canada only conceded five second-half points in their two other matches (v USA).
- Canada averaged 28.67 points per match in the competition, significantly down from their 43.33 average in their run to the RWC 2025 final.
- Canada’s penalty count was in single figures in all three matches of the Pacific Four Series, with an average of 7.33 per game – the lowest in the competition.
- Following this weekend’s match, Canada take on England in Ottawa on 23 October.
SQUAD NOTES
- Paris 2024 Olympic silver medallists Piper Logan and Caroline Crossley are two of three new additions to the Canada squad from the first three games of the WXV Global Series 2026.
- Logan is uncapped in 15s, while Crossley last featured in the RWC 2025 final loss to England.
- Alysha Corrigan has recovered from injury to return, while prop Rori Wood joins up with the squad for the first time since she picked up a knee injury before England 2025.
- World Rugby Women’s 15s Player of the Year 2025 Sophie de Goede continues as Canada captain with Olivia Apps, Justine Pelletier and Alex Tessier her vice-captains.
COACH NOTES
- Kevin Rouet was appointed as Canada head coach in March 2022, having previously held the role of assistant coach for four years.
- His contract runs through to the end of 2027.
- In his time as head coach, Rouet has led Canada to an historic first-ever win over New Zealand and a Pacific Four Series title, achieving a P46, W33, D2, L11 (71.7%) record in charge.
- Bordeaux-born Rouet’s win success rate is the best of any Canadian women’s head coach with at least five matches under their belt.