Wallaroos coach finds silver linings in 38-point defeat to Canada

Canada have made yet another statement ahead of the Women’s Rugby World Cup in England, overpowering Australia 45-7 with a comprehensive performance on Friday. While the scoreline may not paint a positive picture of the Wallaroos, the team remains focused on their journey.

Coach Jo Yapp led the Wallaroos to their first major trophy in team history last year, as they beat Wales, South Africa and Scotland to take out the WXV 2 title. After months of tough results in 2024, the women in gold had been rewarded for their resilience.

That was a significant step forward for the Wallaroos going into a World Cup year, and they’ve continued to show some more signs of growth. Australia recorded a big win over Fiji in Suva before going down swinging against New Zealand and defeating Ilona Maher’s USA.

Australia were still mathematically in contention for the Pacific Four Series title ahead of this clash with the Canadians, but any hopes of an upset were quickly dashed. It was a masterclass from start to finish, with Canada’s set-piece doing damage.

About 15-20 minutes after full-time, coach Yapp and captain Siokapesi Palu walked into the press conference room, with the pair giving honest assessments of the Test. It’s not all doom and gloom, with Yapp confident the team can take “a lot of learnings” out of the loss.

“We went six-two for a reason and we brought some impact players on and I think they made a difference when they came onto the field,” Yapp told reporters post-game.

“We were back in it there for a while and we just couldn’t get any territory early on in the game and we’re playing in the wrong areas and then that really challenged us.

“We probably tried to overplay at times and gave them the ball too easily.

“There’s a lot of leanings for… our game drivers to take from that game and a lot of learnings for us as coaches as well.

“Seeing Charlotte at 12, I thought she had a really big impact on the game.”

McKinley Hunt crossed for the first try of the Test in just the second minute, and that was a sign of things to come, as the Canadians played at more than a point a minute for a decent period. Karen Paquin and Julia Schell scored in quick succession as the visitors took control.

It was 21-nil before the 20-minute mark, but the Wallaroos’ defence stood tall for quite some time, keeping Canada out until the 41^st minute when Laetitia Royer scored. It was 26-nil at the break, but the Aussies showed some character early in the second term.

Australia recorded their first points of the night when winger Desiree Miller crashed over three minutes into the second half. While Canada regained control, scoring another three tries before full-time, there had been a glimmer of hope for the Wallaroos.

“This whole block has been an important learning block for us and tonight’s no different,” Yapp had said earlier in the press conference.

“It was a really good opportunity for us to look at players and we’ve learned an awful lot from that game and credit to Canada, they’re number two [in the world] for a reason.

“We gave them too many opportunities and they took those opportunities.”

On the injury front, the Wallaroos are expecting to have Maya Stewart and Bienne Terita back either towards the end of June or the start of July. Stewart is a try-scoring machine when available, while Terita was a standout against Fiji before leaving that Test injured.