CANADA’S WOMEN’S RUGBY TEAM DEFEAT AUSTRALIA 45-7 IN FINAL MATCH OF 2025 PACIFIC FOUR SERIES
Rugby 15s Senior Women
In need of a win and the bonus point to give themselves their best chance to repeat as Pacific Four Series champions, Canada’s Women’s Rugby Team accomplished their goal on Friday, defeating the Australia Wallaroos 45-7 at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane.
May 23, 2025 (Brisbane, Australia) - In need of a win and the bonus point to give themselves their best chance to repeat as Pacific Four Series champions, Canada’s Women’s Rugby Team accomplished their goal on Friday, defeating the Australia Wallaroos 45-7 at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane.
The Canadians will now have to wait to see if the win was enough to retain the PAC4 crown as the outcome will not be known until the conclusion of the match between New Zealand and the USA on May 24. New Zealand will claim the title with a bonus point victory and a points difference of more than 24 points.
Canada led from wire-to-wire in a match that saw seven different players score points with Julia Schell leading the way, scoring 15 points herself including a try and five conversions. The match also marked a milestone for starting prop, DaLeaka Menin, who earned her 60th cap for Canada.
“The focus was on us this week,” said Captain Alex Tessier in a post-match interview. “Obviously we would have loved to get that win against New Zealand last weekend, but we had to move on. It was a short turnaround to this week. Friday came quickly but overall I was very proud of the girls today. It was a decent win. We put a lot of points on the board.”
Canada got off to a strong start in the third minute, winning a lineout at the 22-metre line. This set up a Canadian maul that ended with McKinley Hunt grounding the ball for the opening try. The conversion was successful by Schell, her first of five in the match.
Canada extended their lead in the 10th minute when veteran Karen Paquin, starting her third-straight match for Canada, finished off a give-and-go with Menin, putting Canada up 14-0 after another Schell conversion.
The momentum continued in the 18th minute when Schell added a try of her own. After Canada moved the ball wide from a maul, Schell powered through two Australian defenders to score. She then stepped up and converted her own try, giving Canada a commanding 21-0 lead.
In the 24th minute, Gillian Boag appeared to score from another maul, but the try was overturned after being reviewed by the TMO (television match official) for obstruction.
Canada closed the half with their fourth try of the match to secure the bonus point, this time from Laetitia Royer in the final minute. Royer was instrumental in a turnover that led directly to the score that put Canada ahead 26-0 at the half-time whistle.
Australia appeared to have scored early in the second half, crossing the line in the 42nd minute after a lineout deep in Canada's territory. However, another TMO review found a knock-on and the try was disallowed, keeping the score at 26-0. However, just two minutes later, Australia made good on their pressure and finally broke through. The try was converted, narrowing the gap to 26-7.
Canada responded quickly in the 47th minute when Krissy Scurfield added to Canada’s lead, finishing off a well-timed pass from Schell along the sideline. The conversion attempt missed, but Canada remained comfortably ahead at 31-7.
Momentum continued to swing Canada's way as Alex Tessier added another try in the 51st minute. It started with a smart tap-and-go by Olivia Apps, which pushed Canada deep into the Australian half. The Canadians maintained possession through several phases before finding Tessier out wide to finish. Schell converted her fourth, stretching the lead to 38-7.
A try from Fabiola Forteza and a fifth Schell conversion with eight minutes left to play in the game rounded out the scoring for Canada, securing the 45-7 victory.
“PAC4 was the first tournament for us to get ready for the World Cup,” added Tessier. “It was still our goal to win PAC4. We want to win every game, one game at a time but PAC4 plays a huge role in building this team for the World Cup.”
Canada will resemble for a training camp in Ottawa in late June to prepare for their next tour to South Africa for a pair of matches against the Springbok Women in Pretoria on July 5 and Gqeberha on July 12.
More information on the Pacific Four Series, including the full schedule and results, can be found on the official World Rugby website HERE.
Mission: Win Rugby World Cup
Rugby Canada has officially launched the Mission: Win the Rugby World Cup 2025 fundraising campaign. The goal is to raise $1,000,000 to provide Canada’s Women’s Rugby Team with extra resources to help them make history by winning the 2025 Rugby World Cup. With their sights set on a groundbreaking achievement this year in England, Canada’s Women’s Rugby Team is currently ranked second in the World Rugby global rankings. For more information or to donate, visit rugby.ca/donate.