Canadian Women Down Fiji 24-7 in Final Test Before Rugby World Cup in New Zealand
from Canadian Press
SUVA, Fiji Tyson Beukeboom celebrated her 50th cap with a try off the bench Friday as Canada defeated Fiji 24-7 Friday in its final test match ahead of next months Womens Rugby World Cup.
Beukeboom is the fifth Canadian woman to reach the 50-cap milestone.
Sara Kaljuvee, Gillian Boag and Maddy Grant also scored tries for Canada in a game that was scoreless at the half at HFC Bank Stadium.
Akanisi Sokoiwasa scored the lone Fiji try, after an interception by Sesenieli Donu.
Sports runs in the Beukeboom family.
Cousins Matt and Brett Beukeboom have both played rugby for Canada, with Brett serving as co-captain, while her other two cousins are on the national womens water polo team. Her mother was a track athlete, her brother a hockey player and her father, Jeff Beukeboom, played 13 seasons in the NHL for the Edmonton Oilers and New York Rangers, winning four Stanley Cup (1987, 88 and 90 with the Oilers and 94 with the Rangers).
The third-ranked Canadians are en route to New Zealand, where they open Pool B play against No. 13 Japan on Oct. 9 (New Zealand time) before facing No. 5 Italy and the sixth-ranked U.S. It will be the third World Cup for Beukeboom, a 31-year-old lock forward.
Fiji, ranked 21st in the world, is in Pool C with top-ranked England, No. 4 France and No. 11 South Africa.
Fiji is 3-3-0 in test matches this year, also losing to No. 13 Japan (28-14) and No. 7 Australia (36-19). Its three victories include a 152-0 shellacking of No. 49 Papua New Guinea in the Oceania Rugby Womens Championship in July in New Zealand, the highest-ever score in a womens test match.
The 12-team World Cup, which runs through Nov. 2 in Auckland and Whangarei, was originally scheduled for 2021 but was postponed due to the pandemic.
*Canada Team to Face Fiji in Women’s World Cup Warmup Match: Kickoff 11pm PT Tonight*
[ed. RC now have an article posted, the match is apparently live streamed for a fee ($9.99 USD) on the Walesi App]
Rugby Canada haven’t published the roster at the time of writing but World Rugby have the lineups published, along with media notes. We’ve provided those below. The match starts 18:00 on Friday, Fiji time, 19 hours ahead of the west coast, so kickoff is 11pm Thursday PT. We’ll post links to a live stream when we’re notified of them.
Here is the World Rugby page for the match: https://www.world.rugby/match/30425
Canada coach Kevin Rouet has made five personnel and two positional changes to his starting line-up from the Wales match. Brittany Kassil comes in at loose-head to join Emily Tuttosi and Daleaka Menin in the front row. Courtney Holtkamp continues in the second row but with McKinley Hunt alongside her. Hunt will make only her third start and first since November 2019.
The back row of Fabiola Forteza, Karen Paquin and captain Sophie de Goede remains unchanged. Fly-half Julia Schell will partner Brianna Miller at half-back.
Sara Kaljuvee shifts in one position to inside centre with Anais Holly earning a first start since July 2019 and her first appearance since the World Rugby Pacific Four Series in June. Maddy Grant switches to the right wing with Alysha Corrigan filling the vacated left-wing spot and Elissa Alarie continuing at full-back.
Replacement second-row Tyson Beukeboom is set to win her 50th cap off the bench. Gillian Boag, Mikiela Nelson and Gabrielle Senft come on to the bench having not been involved in Canadas last test against Wales. It will be the fifth test appearance for Nelson but the first against a team other than USA.
Canada vs Fiji
1. Brittany Kassil
2. Emily Tuttosi
3. DaLeaka Menin
4. Courtney Holtkamp
5. McKinley Hunt
6. Fabiola Forteza
7. Karen Paquin
8. Sophie de Goede ©
9. Brianna Miller
10. Julia Schell
11. Alysha Corrigan
12. Sara Kaljuvee
13. Anais Holly
14. Maddy Grant
15. Elissa Alarie
16. Gillian Boag
17. Mikiela Nelson
18. Alex Ellis
19. Tyson Beukeboom
20. Emma Taylor
21. Gabrielle Senft
22. Alexandra Tessier
23. Taylor Perry
Canada v Wales (for comparison)
1. Olivia DeMerchant (Mapledale, NB) Halifax Tars RFC
2. Emily Tuttosi (Souris, MB) Calgary Hornets / Exeter Chiefs
3. DaLeaka Menin (Vulcan, AB) Calgary Hornets / Exeter Chiefs
4. Courtney Holtkamp (Rimbey, AB) Red Deer Titans
5. Tyson Beukeboom (Uxbridge, ON) Cowichan RFC
6. Fabiola Forteza (Quebec City, QC) Club de rugby de Québec
7. Karen Paquin (Quebec City, QC) Club de rugby de Québec / Les Lionnes du Stade Bordelais
8. Sophie de Goede © (Victoria, BC) Castaway Wanderers RFC
9. Brianna Miller (Pointe-Claire, QC) Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue RFC
10. Taylor Perry (Oakville, ON) Oakville Crusaders
11. Maddy Grant (Cornwall, ON) University of Ottawa
12. Alexandra Tessier (Sainte-Clotilde-de-Horton, QC) Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue RFC
13. Sara Kaljuvee (Ajax, ON) Toronto Scottish
14. Paige Farries (Red Deer, AB) Worcester Warriors
15. Elissa Alarie (Trois-Rivieres, QC) Westshore RFC
FINISHERS
16. Laura Russell (Bolton, ON) Cowichan RFC / Toronto Nomads
17. Brittany Kassil (Guelph, ON) Guelph Redcoats
18. Alex Ellis (Ottawa, ON) Barrhaven Scottish / Saracens
19. Emma Taylor (Scotsburn, NS) HRFC
20. Ngalula Fuamba (Notre Dame de-l’ile-Perrot, QC) – T.M.R.R.F.C.
21. Sara Svoboda (Belleville, ON) Brantford Harlequins / Belleville Bulldogs / Loughborough Lightning
22. Justine Pelletier (Riviere-du-Loup, QC) Club de rugby de Québec
23. Julia Schell (Uxbridge, ON) Guelph Redcoats / Castaway Wanderers