Canada Defeat Wales 24-7 Despite Red Card – Strong Second Half Comeback: VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS
from Rugby Canada
Canadas Senior Womens 15s faced Wales at Cardiff Arms Park on November 21st, earning a 24-7 win in their final Fall fixture, presented by DHL Rugby. Canada overcame a first half red card and put forth a dominant second half of play to collect their third win from four matches this Fall.
Courtney Holtkamp, DaLeaka Menin, Sabrina Poulin and Pamphinette Buisa registered tries for Canada on Sunday, with Alexandra Tessier adding a pair of conversions in the win.
Wales got on the board early, scoring off a strong ruck from a line out with Canada down to seven players in the scrum due to a yellow card shown to Tyson Beukeboom. Canada went down to 14 players for the remainder of the match following a red card to captain Oliva DeMerchant, who made unintentional shoulder-to-head contact on a hard tackle at the half hour mark.
Despite being down a player for the majority of the opening half, Canadas defense was strong, allowing them to nearly level the match in the final minutes of play with a promising run that came up just short.
Wales would lead 7-0 heading into half time.
Canada came out on the front foot to open the second half and looked to have a try in the 46th minute, before having the call overturned. Despite the call, the Canadians continued to push forward and were rewarded with their first try of the evening from Holtkamp in the 51st minute to pull within two points at 7-5.
Canada grew in confidence despite being down a player, shutting Wales out in the second half. It was all Canada in the final 30 minutes, as Menin, Poulin and Buisa would add scores to build up a sizeable lead. Wales were unable to match the tempo and fitness of their Canadian counterparts, who would come away from Cardiff Arms Park with a 24-7 win to conclude their Fall Tour.
Buisa had an exceptional game coming in as a finisher at the 52 minute mark, making an immediate impact for the Canadians. In addition to scoring off a pick and go near the try line, Buisa carried the ball in numerous hard runs and continuously supported her teammates on the outside. She was rewarded as the Player of the Match for her dynamic contribution.
Im very impressed with the resiliency our players showed in todays win, said Canada head coach Sandro Fiorino. They overcame a red card and really dictated play in the second half. Im happy we were able to end this run of fixtures with a positive result.
Sundays match marked the final competition of the year for Canadas Senior Womens 15s squad, who finish their Fall Tour with a 3-1 record. Canada will now return home and continue their preparations for the Rugby World Cup in October 2022 in New Zealand.
VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS
*Canada Names 23 for Wales Match on Sunday: KO 9am PT*
from Rugby Canada
Canadas Senior Womens 15s head coach Sandro Fiorino has announced his match day roster that will face Wales on November 21st at Cardiff Arms Park. Its the final fixture of the womens Fall Tour, presented by DHL Rugby.
The Fall Tour marks the first series of test matches Canada has played since November, 2019, with a total of 35 athletes having been selected. The teams previous three matches against the USA and Number 1 ranked England created vital opportunities for the team to implement the systems and strategies that were developed through the isolation period of COVID-effected operations. Sundays test will once again allow the group to move one step closer in their preparations for the upcoming Rugby World Cup in New Zealand in October, 2022.
I am very proud of how our team has performed since returning to play, said Fiorino. There have been many positives to take away, as well as a number of areas that have been identified for us to work on as we continue to develop as a group. We are all looking forward to this final match.
Led by Carys Phillips, Wales were victorious over their South African opponents in their most recent November 13th test match at Cardiff Arms Park. Phillips led the Welsh attack scoring three tries in the contest, while teammate Elinor Snowsill added three conversions and a penalty goal en route to a 29-19 win.
Wales have performed well in their two most recent matches, added Fiorino. They will provide us with another excellent opportunity to see where we are as a team against quality opposition, and get our players more key game time as we prepare for the World Cup.
Veteran players Karen Paquin, Brianna Miller and Laura Russell are rested for this game which will create opportunities or some new faces. Justine Pelletier and Veronica Harrigan will get their first starts this tour, while Ngalula Fuamba cracks the lineup as a finisher. Marie Thibault and Sarah-Maude Lachance get back into action for the first time in this second leg of the Fall Fixture Tour.
Canadas Senior Womens 15s team kick off against Wales on November 21st at Cardiff Arms Park. The match begins at 12:00pm ET/ 9:00 am PT and will be available to view live in Canada on TSN.ca or through the TSN app, with an encore tape-delayed broadcast on TSN2 at 12:30am ET/9:30pm PT. For more information, please visit www.rugby.ca.
CANADAS WOMENS RUGBY TEAMS MATCH DAY ROSTER
1. Olivia DeMerchant – Mapledale, NB – Exeter Chiefs/Halifax Tars RFC
2. Veronica Harrigan – Lucan, ON – Brantford Harlequins
3. DaLeaka Menin – Vulcan, AB – Exeter Chiefs
4. Tyson Beukeboom – Uxbridge, ON – Cowichan RFC
5. Emma Taylor – Scotsburn, NS – Halifax Rugby Football Club
6. Courtney Holtkamp – Rimbey, AB – Red Deer Titans
7. Fabiola Forteza – Quebec, QC – Club de Rugby de Quebec/Stade Bordelais
8. Gabrielle Senft – Regina, SK – Castaway Wanderers/University of Victoria Vikes
9. Justine Pelletier – Riviere-du-Loup, QC – Les Lionnes du stade bordelais/ Club de Rugby de Quebec
10. Emily Belchos de Goede – Innisfil, ON – Westshore RFC
11. Paige Farries – Red Deer, AB – Worcester Warriors/Westshore RFC
12. Alexandra Tessier – Sainte-Clotilde-de-Horton, QC – Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue RFC
13. Sara Kaljuvee – Ajax, ON – Toronto Scottish/ University of Victoria Vikes
14. Sabrina Poulin – St-Georges, QC Town of Mount Royal Rugby/Stade Rennais
15. Elissa Alarie – Trois-Rivieres, QC – Westshore RFC/ Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue RFC/Braves de Trois-Riviéres
FINISHERS
16. Emily Tuttosi – Souris, MB – Exeter Chiefs
17. Brittany Kassil – Guelph, ON – Guelph Redcoats
18. Alex Ellis – Ottawa, ON – Barrhaven Scottish/Saracens
19. Ngalula Fuamba Notre-Dame-de-l’Île-Perrot, QC – Town of Mount Royal Rugby
20. Pamphinette Buisa – Gatineau, QC Canada Womens 7s/Ottawa Irish
21. Marie Thibault – Quebec, QC – Club de Rugby de Quebec
22. Sarah-Maude Lachance – Victoriaville, QC – Lons Section Paloise Rugby Feminin / Club de Rugby de Quebec
23. Renee Gonzalez – Toronto, ON – Westshore RFC/University of Victoria Vikes
from sixnationsrugby.com
Ioan Cunningham has made three changes to the Wales Women side that started their 29-19 win over South Africa for this weekends clash with Canada on Sunday.
Wales Women make it two from two with victory over Springboks Preview: Wales look for back-to-back autumn victories Replacements rewarded as Wales make seven changes Keira Bevan starts at scrum-half while Caryl Thomas and Lisa Neumann return at loosehead and on the right wing respectively, having missed the South Africa match through injury.
Kat Evans has also recovered and takes up a place on the bench.
Cunningham said: Our primary focus is to keep improving. We are pleased with how we went against Japan and South Africa. However, we left a lot of scoring opportunities on the park, that is something we cant do this weekend. When we create chances to score, we must take them.
Canada are ranked third in the world for good reason. They have Olympic athletes in the side and World Series sevens players. They will challenge and test us and play an all-court game they are strong up front and put a lot of width on the ball too. We will have to apply ourselves from the off right through to final whistle.
We are pleased with our progression so far and we are determined to finish the campaign on a high. There is healthy competition within the squad and we have rewarded good performances but it was also important for us to grow confidence and cohesion at this point in time.
The good work is down to everyone in the squad even though some havent featured in the series. The standard of training has been high and thats down to the whole group. We want to keep building and keep the momentum going on Sunday and beyond.
Wales Women v Canada (Sunday 5pm, Cardiff Arms Park and BBC 2 Wales)
15 Niamh Terry (Exeter Chiefs)
14 Lisa Neumann (Sale Sharks)
13 Hannah Jones (Gloucester-Hartpury)
12 Kerin Lake (Gloucester-Hartpury)
11 Caitlin Lewis (Exeter Chiefs)
10 Elinor Snowsill (Bristol Bears)
9 Keira Bevan (Bristol Bears)
1 Caryl Thomas (Worcester Warriors)
2 Carys Phillips (Worcester Warriors)
3 Cerys Hale (Gloucester-Hartpury)
4 Natalia John (Bristol Bears)
5 Georgia Evans (Saracens)
6 Alisha Butchers (Bristol Bears)
7 Bethan Lewis (Gloucester-Hartpury)
8 Siwan Lillicrap (Capt, Bristol Bears)
Replacements:
16 Kat Evans (Saracens)
17 Cara Hope (Gloucester-Hartpury)
18 Donna Rose (Saracens)
19 Gwen Crabb (Gloucester-Hartpury)
20 Alex Callender (Worcester Warriors)
21 Ffion Lewis (Worcester Warriors)
22 Robyn Wilkins (Gloucester-Hartpury)
23 Megan Webb (Bristol Bears)