Canada confirm 'meaningful' return to Ottawa for Red Roses clash

Rugby Canada have confirmed that they will host England’s Red Roses in Ottawa in the second game of their Rugby Rematch Tour on Friday 23 October.

Yesterday the Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 runners-up confirmed they will also take on John Mitchell’s world champions a week prior in Toronto in a two-match series being sponsored by Canadian Tire.

The two teams will also play one another in another WXV Global Series fixture at Exeter’s Sandy Park in September. England will also host Australia’s Wallaroos and New Zealand’s Black Ferns that month.

A return to the nation’s capital will be a special one for Kévin Rouet’s team. Ottawa’s TD Place was the venue for the Canadian’s send-off for last year’s Women’s Rugby World Cup when they faced-off with the USA Women’s Eagles and set a new attendance record of 11,453 for a standalone women’s rugby match in North America.

Nathan Bombrys, CEO of Rugby Canada, said: “Returning to Ottawa is incredibly meaningful for Rugby Canada. The last time we played here, the energy from over 11,000 fans created a truly special moment for our players as they prepared for the Rugby World Cup.

“That kind of support doesn’t just fill a stadium—it fuels performance. We’re excited to come back to a city that showed up for us in such a historic way, and we’re confident the Ottawa crowd will once again give our team the home field advantage we need for what promises to be a fiercely competitive match.

“Thank you to the City of Ottawa and Canadian Tire for their support in bringing international rugby back to the city.”

Upon announcing that Canada will host England at Toronto’s BMO Field over 3,000 supporters have registered interest in purchasing tickets for the fixture. It will be a first men’s or women’s Test match in Toronto for a decade.

Rugby Canada have also confirmed they will collaborate with Rugby Ontario to provide a series of community events on leading up to the fixture.

Kévin Rouet, Canada Women Head Coach, said: “It was incredible to see so many Canadians rally behind us during last year’s World Cup. There is always something special about playing at home in front of our friends and family.

“We’re especially excited to face England and to give our supporters the chance to pack the stadiums in Toronto and Ottawa and cheer us on.”