Wallaroos vs Canada: Teenager shines, Canada’s World Cup statement

Canada have put themselves in a strong position to take out the 2025 Pacific Four Series crown, having beaten Australia 45-7 at Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium on Friday. Prop McKinley Hunt scored the opener in the third minute for Canada, it was one-way traffic from there.

Another three first-half tries saw the Canadians take a comprehensive 26-nil lead into the sheds at the break, but the Wallaroos did show some fight early in the second term, with winger Desiree Miller crossing four minutes into the half.

While the second half was much closer-fought than the first, there was never any doubt about the result, with the Canadians keeping their unbeaten record against the Wallaroos alive. Here are some takeaways.

Canada’s set-piece dominance

Practically everything went to plan for Canada during a dominant first half. Gillian Boag had a try disallowed 26 minutes into the Test, which was the only reason why it wasn’t perfect, but that shouldn’t take away from just how good the Canadians were.

Set-piece dominance was the not-so-secret reason behind their success, as the visitors made their mark time and time again at either the scrum or lineout. Loosehead prop McKinley Hunt scored the opener inside the first few minutes, with the team’s rolling maul working wonders.

In the eighth minute, the Canadian forward pack pushed the Wallaroos scrum backwards 10 metres in midfield, which was yet another sign of things to come. As for the Wallaroos, they failed to hit the target with their first three lineouts, gifting World No. 2 Canada the ball.

Boag almost extended Canada’s lead to 26-points with that effort in the 25^th minute, with the hooker seemingly reaping the rewards of another maul, but that was ruled out after the on-field referee had initially awarded it.

Canada’s maul went about 30 metres in the lead-up to Hunt’s try, and there was a sense of déjà vu when they went 10 metres before Boag crashed over. That was as dominant as you’ll ever see from a rugby team when it comes to set-piece.

Australia captain Siokapesi Palu was asked about the set-piece battle after the team’s training session on Thursday, with the skipper saying the Wallaroos had “worked really hard” on that area ahead of Friday’s Pacific Four Series Test.

But Canada were a class above.

Their set-piece could very well win them the Rugby World Cup.

Points Flow Chart

Canada Women win +38

Time in lead

0

Mins in lead

80

0%

% Of Game In Lead

98%

66%

Possession Last 10 min

34%

0

Points Last 10 min

7

Canada can shock England and New Zealand at Rugby World Cup

There’s a lot more to rugby than just the set-piece. The Canadians were brilliant across the park against the Aussies.

Fullback Julia Schell and outside centre Florence Symonds are among the big-name players in the backline, who constantly found gaps in the Wallaroos’ defence.

Going off their performances across the Pacific Four Series, including last weekend’s dramatic draw with the Black Ferns in New Zealand, there’s no reason to question whether Canada can push the very best in the race for the sport’s top prize.

England are widely considered firm favourites ahead of this year’s Rugby World Cup on home soil, while New Zealand are the defending champions. France are another team capable of shocking the world, and Ireland did stun the Black Ferns in WXV 1.

But let’s focus on Canada.

They’re the real deal.

Canada have been drawn into a pool with Scotland, Wales and Fiji. If the Canadians top that group, they’ll likely face either Australia or the USA in the quarter-finals. The pressure of knockout rugby can be a funny thing, but Canada should make the semi-finals at least.

If the Canadians can carry this high standard throughout the showpiece event, then watch out England. This is far from a one-horse race, and Canada will be full of confidence after a successful series of Tests in the Pac Four Series.

Teenager stands out as a shining light for Wallaroos

18-year-old Caitlyn Halse was a shining light for the Wallaroos on an otherwise tough night at the sporting cauldron that is Suncorp Stadium. After starting at fullback against the USA, the teenager was retained in that role for a clash with World No. 2 Canada.

Halse had played just seven Test matches for the Wallaroos ahead of Saturday’s showdown, but the outside back still stood out, even as Canada took control. It was a masterclass from start to finish from the visitors, but Halse’s performance was a real positive.

Coach Jo Yapp gave Halse the responsibility of taking penalty kicks for the sideline against the USA, and that was once again the case on Friday. Halse kicked the Wallaroos into good field position with those opportunities and cleared them from danger with exit kicks in general play.

In attack, Halse had the most carry metres and most post-contact metres by the 60-minute mark, even though Canada had largely dominated possession. It wasn’t al smooth sailing, a kick went out on the full in the 66^th minute, but that shouldn’t overshadow things too much.

With an impressive work rate, an elite level of acceleration, and the confidence to take on some of the world’s best despite being just 18 years of age, that combination is a real positive for the Wallaroos ahead of the Rugby World Cup.