Talking points as Canada cement superiority with second straight England win

Canada have backed up last week’s historic victory over England with another dominant performance in Ottawa, claiming a 31-22 victory in front of a packed TD Place Stadium.

The home side produced two stunning halves of rugby, and led almost the whole 80 minutes, taking the game by the scruff of the neck in the second half to clinch a second straight win over John Mitchell’s England.

Canada dominated the contact area in the first half, giving their outside backs front-foot ball as England struggled to keep up.

Mitchell’s side did, however, dominate at set-piece time, but it wasn’t enough as Canada stunned the current World champions.

Here are some talking points from TD Place Stadium.

Variation, pace, and combinations

Canada’s attack was incredibly impressive at TD Place Stadium. They kept England honest defensively, and Kevin Rouet’s side showed different pictures, forcing England’s defence to fall off numerous tackles.

It was threatening, relentless, and with a below-par set-piece, it simply kept them in the game. Mitchell’s England were their own worst enemies on defence, but on the flip side, Canada made them pay.

Daleaka Menin and Julia Omokhuale carried with intent; Lizzie Gibson topped the carry count with eleven in the first half, making 45 meters in the process, but it was the combination of power and silky footwork which put England under the most pressure.

The chemistry between the backline and the forwards gave Canada’s attack effective variation, facilitated by the success of one-off runners. The home side used backline interplay and quick passes to shift England’s defence from side-to-side, resulting in several try-scoring opportunities and consistent go-forward.

The second half was much of the same, with Sophie de Goede producing several moments of magic, alongside her hard-working teammates who set a platform magnificently.

Rouet has his squad firing on all cylinders.

First half cat and mouse

The first half in Ottawa was a classic case of cat and mouse. England’s set-piece overpowered and outclassed Canada at times, and their breakdown work was magnificent, but the home side were the better side heading into the break.

In the fundamental parts of rugby, and areas where games are often won and lost, England were dominating. But international rugby does funny things.

England won several scrum and breakdown penalties, but defensively they were too passive, and when they did put Canada under pressure, they were often pinged for offside.

Canada did a superb job of taking their opportunities when they arose, and their attack was too dangerous for England to contain.

The first half was end-to-end, but the home side took advantage of their chances. The kicking battle was intense, and both sides tried to wrestle field position off each other.

Although the scoreline looked close at halftime, the stats told the real story. Canada forced England to make 133 first-half tackles, 15 missed, while the home side only made 93. Rouet’s side had 59 per cent territory, slightly more possession, and completely and utterly dominated the collision area.

Changing of the guard?

Looking back, England were a last-second intercept away from a four-game winless run.

The Black Ferns chanced their arm at Twickenham just under a month ago, and got punished by Mitchell’s side.

But after two defeats against Canada, in Canada, England now have some work to do to regain dominance.

The Kiwis, who put fourth-ranked France to the sword a week ago in Hamilton, aren’t far away from the top under new head coach Whitney Hansen. Rouet’s Canada, having shown their class not only in 2026, but also promising signs in 2025, are a force to be reckoned with in international rugby.

England are the World Champions and will no doubt respond in the weeks to come, but the state of international women’s rugby isn’t as clear-cut as it was nearly a year ago.