Canada v France – WXV 1 Round 3

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Canada Defeat France 29-20 to Finish 2nd in WXV 2023

Canada finished 2nd in the WXV 1 behind England but ahead of Australia, France, NZ and Wales. The match report, final standings table and video highlight are posted below.

Final Standings

TEAM
PL
W
D
L
PF
PA
+/-
TF
BP
PTS
England
3
3
0
0
120
31
+89
18
3
15
Canada
3
2
0
1
83
87
-4
12
2
10
Australia
3
2
0
1
61
81
-20
9
2
10
New Zealand
3
1
0
2
99
58
+41
16
2
6
France
3
1
0
2
58
75
-17
7
0
4
Wales
3
0
0
3
48
137
-89
7
1
1

from Rugby Canada

Canada’s Women’s Rugby Team staged a comeback in the second half against France in their final match of WXV 1, winning 29-20.

A rematch of last fall’s Rugby World Cup bronze medal final, France started strong, scoring early off a penalty kick and a converted try in the first 13 minutes to take a 10-0 lead. France put Canada’s defence to work throughout the first half, but Emily Tuttosi got Canada on the board in the 35th minute, scoring off a lineout. Sophie de Goede’s first successful kick of the day closed the gap to 10-7.

“We had a tough first 40 minutes, France was better than us for almost 40 minutes but we were still in the game,” said Head Coach Kevin Rouet. “I was proud of the girls, we talked at half-time and the second half was a much better game for us.”

With France’s Nassira Konde serving a yellow card, a cohesive team effort to move the ball down the field ended in an offload from Fancy Bermudez to Krissy Scurfield for the try. Converted by de Goede, Canada increased their lead to 14-10.

Continuing their effective set pieces, Canada once again scored off a lineout in the 50th minute, this time with Courtney Holtkamp touching the ball down.

France kept the game tight, with a second French try and conversion putting them just two points behind Canada. But with some fancy footwork from Bermudez, it was a show and go with Florence Symonds that sent Bermudez flying down the field, resulting in another Canadian try. De Goede’s conversion brought the score to 26-17.

With nine minutes remaining, a successful French penalty kick meant that France was once again back within a converted try of regaining the lead. Moments later however, a penalty for France at their 22 gave Canada an opportunity to respond in kind, with de Goede’s penalty kick closing the game and giving Canada the 29-20 win.

“We wanted to win [WXV], but I am really proud of the way that we got two out of three wins,” said de Goede. “It’s so incredibly important for us to have this booked into the calendar every year knowing that we are going to be playing top quality teams, getting challenged, getting tested, having to come through that, building winning habits.”

Julia Omokhuale earned her first cap for Canada, entering the game in the final minutes. Bermudez earned the Mastercard Player of the Match honours. This win put Canada in second place in the standings behind England, with the final match of the tournament between England and New Zealand still to come.

More information on WXV, including full results, can be found on the official website at wxvrugby.com.

Canada Name Side to Take on France in WXV Round 3:  No Changes in Forwards; Four Changes in Backs

Canada, ranked #4, have named their side to take on France 8pm PT on Friday. It’s the 3rd and last round of WXV 1 taking place in NZ. France, the world #3, were shocked by #5 Australia 29-20 in the 2nd round. Canada lost to France 36-0 at the World Cup, so this is a chance for some redemption and based on last weekend’s result, France are ready for the taking.

Canada have traditionally fared well in the forwards in women’s rugby and with the leadership of #8 Sophie de Goede the forwards always show up. Such hasn’t been the case in the backs, there isn’t a clear leader in the backs and that point has been emphasized in coach Kevin Rouet’s selection for this match. The forwards remain unchanged from the last match but there are significant changes in the backline, the halfbacks have been changed, the outside centre and one of the wings.

The match kicks off Friday at 8pm PT with showings on TSN 5 and TSN+

WXV 1 Standings After 2nd Round

England
2
2
0
0
87
19
+68
13
2
10
New Zealand
2
1
0
1
87
25
+62
14
2
6
Canada
2
1
0
1
54
67
-13
8
1
5
Australia
2
1
0
1
36
62
-26
5
1
5
France
2
1
0
1
38
46
-8
5
0
4
Wales
2
0
0
2
29
112
-83
4
0
0

from Rugby Canada

Head Coach of Canada’s Women’s Rugby Team, Kevin Rouet, has selected his roster for Canada’s final WXV 1 match against France, a rematch of the last Rugby World Cup bronze medal final.

Kicking off at Go Media Mount Stadium in Auckland at 4:00 p.m. local time on Saturday November 4 (8:00 p.m. PT / 11:00 p.m. ET on Friday November 3), Canada will look to earn their second win in the inaugural WXV competition. After knocking off Wales in the opening game by a score of 42-22 in Wellington, Canada fell to England in Dunedin by a score of 45-12 to put them in third place behind England and New Zealand heading into the final weekend of the tournament.

Fancy Bermudez returns to action at outside centre, her first selection of WXV, capping off a strong first season for Bermudez with Canada’s Women’s Rugby Team. Julia Schell moves into the starting 15, along with Krissy Scurfield. Laetitia Royer is back on the roster as a reserve following recovery from injury. Julia Omokhuale, a University of Calgary standout who competed with Canada’s U23 Women’s Rugby Team this past summer and was named to Canada’s September England tour, could earn her first cap coming off the bench.

“Everyone in the team has worked very hard at training, it has been a good week for us,” said Rouet. “France is a top three team in the world and right now we are fourth. They are another team we are trying to reach in the rankings and trying to beat. We were disappointed after our loss to England last week, so the team is glad to have the opportunity to bounce back and play against another one of the top teams in the world.”

Returning for each of Canada’s WXV matches is the NFP Forward & Back Game Changers contest. Fans will have the opportunity to vote virtually for the players (one forward and one back) who they think were game changers for Canada’s Women’s Rugby Team at WXV, with a chance to win a $100 Amazon gift card and a signed jersey. Details on how to participate will be announced on Rugby Canada’s social media channels.

More information on WXV, including the full schedule and results, can be found on the official website at wxvrugby.com.

WHERE TO WATCH

Canada vs France will be broadcast on TSN5 and TSN+.

TSN+ is the new stand-alone digital streaming service from Canada’s Sports Leader, and is home to an extensive slate of live sports coverage from around the world, including Rugby Canada matches. For more information on TSN+, including subscription options, visit TSN.ca/TSN+.

CANADA’S WOMEN’S RUGBY TEAM WXV MATCH DAY ROSTER vs FRANCE

1. McKinley Hunt (King City, ON) – Aurora Barbarians / Saracens
2. Emily Tuttosi (Souris, MB) – Calgary Hornets / Exeter Chiefs
3. DaLeaka Menin (Vulcan, AB) – Exeter Chiefs
4. Tyson Beukeboom (Uxbridge, ON) – Cowichan RFC / Ealing Trailfinders
5. Courtney Holtkamp (Rimbey, AB) – Red Deer Titans Rugby
6. Gabrielle Senft (Regina, SK) – Castaway Wanderers / Stade Bordelais
7. Sara Svoboda (Belleville, ON) – Brantford Harlequins / Belleville Bulldogs / Loughborough Lightning
8. Sophie de Goede (Victoria, BC) – Castaway Wanderers RFC / Saracens
9. Justine Pelletier (Rivière-du-Loup, QC) – Club de rugby de Québec?/ Stade Bordelais
10. Julia Schell (Uxbridge, ON) – Guelph Redcoats / Castaway Wanderers
11. Krissy Scurfield (Canmore, AB) – University of Victoria
12. Alexandra Tessier (Sainte-Clotilde-de-Horton, QC) – Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue RFC / Exeter Chiefs
13. Fancy Bermudez (Edmonton, AB) – NorWester Athletic Associations / Westshore RFC
14. Paige Farries (Red Deer, AB) – Westshore RFC
15. Sarah-Maude Lachance (Victoriaville, QC) – Club de rugby de Québec / Lons Section Paloise
16. Gillian Boag (Calgary, AB) – Capilano RFC
17. Brittany Kassil (Guelph, ON) – Guelph Redcoats
18. Alexandria Ellis (Ottawa, ON) – Barrhaven Scottish / Saracens
19. Laetitia Royer (Loretteville, QC) – St-Anne-de-Bellevue / ASM Romagnat
20. Julia Omokhuale (Calgary, AB) – Calgary Irish Rugby Club / University of Calgary
21. Olivia Apps (Lindsay, ON) – Lindsay RFC
22. Shoshanah Seumanutafa (White Rock, BC) – University of British Columbia
23. Florence Symonds (Hong Kong) – University of British Columbia

Posted in Front Page, National Women's XVs.