Canada wins over Wales in opening WXV match

Canada’s Women’s Rugby Team won 42-22 over Wales to open WXV1 in New Zealand, with captain Sophie de Goede contributing 17 points and DaLeaka Menin earning her 50th cap.

De Goede opened scoring in the fourth minute off the set piece, converting her own try to put Canada up 7-0. Wales evened the score moments later, then took a 10-7 lead in the 28th minute with a penalty kick following an offside call at Canada’s 22.

It took just three minutes for Canada to take back the lead, with Sara Svoboda putting the momentum back in Canada’s favour following 10 phases in Wales’ end. De Goede’s second clean kick of the game put the score at 14-10.

Upping the pressure on Wales, Florence Symonds broke through the Welsh defence and offloaded the ball to Madison Grant for Canada’s third try of the game. De Goede went three for three on conversions. A turnover in the final minute of the first half led to a second Welsh try, putting the score at 21-17 for Canada at half-time. 

“I think it was definitely a bit of a soft start,” said de Goede. “I think we had the momentum at times and then we just weren’t quite finishing some of our chances, but I thought we did well to get them. I thought our scrum was very strong, some good momentum with the backs on the edge. We just need to finish our chances and be a bit more disciplined to make sure that we don’t give them easy opportunities.”

DaLeaka Menin earned her 50th cap for Canada coming on in the second half, just the seventh Canadian woman to reach this milestone.

“I think she’s been pivotal to Canadian rugby, especially athletes from the Prairies, from the small towns,” Emily Tuttosi said of Menin. “The Canadian scrum is a staple of our rugby and she’s been a part of it. I’ve been proud watching her from game one, and to be here and step on the field with her for her first scrum in her 50th means a lot.”

Sustained pressure and possession within Wales’ 22 led to a series of scoring opportunities for Canada, with McKinley Hunt slamming the ball down between the uprights in the 50th minute. Yet another conversion from de Goede furthered Canada’s lead to 28-17.

Taking advantage of penalties against Wales, Canada continued to see success off the set piece. Gillian Boag broke away from a maul to score, converted by de Goede.  

Wales didn’t let up, scoring their third and final try of the game with just over 10 minutes remaining, but Sarah-Maude Lachance had the last word, receiving an offload from de Goede to score in the corner. De Goede’s sixth conversion of the game put the final score at 42-22.

“We’re building. We won, but we just need to be more clinical sometimes,” said Head Coach Kevin Rouet. “We gave them an easy penalty, and after that a simple interception at 60 seconds before half-time. We know that if we didn’t give them those gifts, it shouldn’t have been a close game for us. The win was what we wanted, getting the bonus point [for scoring four tries]. We only have six days until we play England, we know it’s going to be a short turnaround. We are ready for that for sure.”

Ashlynn Smith earned her first cap for Canada, coming off the bench in the 67th minute. De Goede was named the Mastercard Player of the Match.

“I think Ashlynn is going to be a legend,” said de Goede. “She’s performed really well since coming in. I think it’s her third camp and she’s been working really hard to get in that first cap and now she’s broken through. The world is her oyster and I’m really excited to see where she goes with it.”

Canada’s Women’s Rugby Team faces England in their second match of WXV1 on Thursday October 26 at 11:00 p.m. PT / Friday October 27 at 2:00 a.m. ET / 7:00 p.m. NZT in Dunedin, New Zealand. The game will be broadcast on TSN3 and TSN+. Tickets are available for purchase here.

More information on WXV, including the full schedule and results, can be found on the official website at wxvrugby.com.