Canada Earns Landmark Victory Over Defending Champions New Zealand, Advances to World Cup Final

Friday, September 19, 2025 (Bristol, England) — Canada’s Women’s Rugby Team delivered a performance for the ages, defeating defending champions New Zealand 34–19 in the Rugby World Cup semi-final at Ashton Gate. 

The result ends the Black Ferns’ reign as world champions and books Canada’s first World Cup final appearance since 2014. It also marks the largest margin of victory ever recorded against New Zealand in men’s or women’s Rugby World Cup history. 

First half: Canada come out firing 

With a raucous crowd of 25,392 in Bristol, Canada wasted no time asserting themselves. Scrum-half Justine Pelletier opened the scoring in the eighth minute, finishing off a slick move sparked by a chip kick from Taylor Perry and a deft offload from Alysha Corrigan. 

Moments later, winger Asia Hogan-Rochester stunned the Black Ferns with a powerful fend on Renee Holmes to cross in the corner. Canada’s relentless pressure continued, and after sustained multi-phase play, Florence Symonds struck in the 24th minute following a decisive pass from captain Alex Tessier. 

New Zealand briefly hit back through Tanya Kalounivale, but Canada answered immediately. Pelletier again played provider, this time offloading to Sophie de Goede, who sprinted clear from 20 metres to score under the posts. The Canadian points leader – up to 58 at the final whistle, good for second in the scoring table at Rugby World Cup 2025 – converted her own try to give her side a commanding 24–7 halftime lead. 

Second half: Tessier leads from the front 

Showing no signs of slowing down, Canada picked up right where they left off coming out of the interval. Alex Tessier kicked off the half with a moment of class, throwing a dummy and slicing through beside the posts in the 43rd minute. 

New Zealand rallied with tries from Liana Mikaele-Tu’u and Braxton Sorensen-McGee in the final quarter, cutting the deficit to 31–19, but Canada held their composure. A late penalty goal from de Goede stretched the margin to three scores, sealing a landmark 34–19 victory to book Canada’s second-ever Rugby World Cup final appearance. 

Player of the Match: Justine Pelletier 

Pelletier was at the heart of everything, dictating tempo and sparking Canada’s attack. The Mastercard Player of the Match finished with 12 carries, 91 metres gained, and a crucial opening try. 

On the team’s performance, Pelletier said: “It was a lot of tempo. It’s just fun to play rugby, and I think we showed what inspiring rugby can be.” 

Reflecting on what it took to beat New Zealand, she added: “A lot of grit. A lot of resilience. A lot of hard work. It’s not just one game, it’s three years of hustle in the dark, and now we’re in the light. Thank you everyone for their support.” 

Words from the Captain

“We love to play a tempo game,” said Tessier. “It’s a fact now that we have a very fast attack, and it’s across our whole squad of 32... we’ve managed to build some depth since the last World Cup, and I think it’s shown now. We support each other, on and off the pitch. When we connect, it’s beautiful.” 

Tessier continued: “We trusted our processes, we trusted our preparation, and it was confidence from minute one to minute eighty. I don’t think there were any doubts in our head. I’m very proud of the girls, I’m very proud of this team, how far we’ve come, that we trusted each other and the process, and that we came out with the win tonight. I couldn’t ask for a better day.” 

Head Coach Kevin Rouet praised his team’s composure:

“The first half was exciting for us. I loved seeing the behaviour from the girls on the field, being calm and composed. You won’t be perfect for 80 minutes, but the fact that they were relaxed and composed when times got tough, I like that.” 

Rouet, already looking ahead, added: “Just after the final whistle, I was already starting to think about the next eight days. I’m happy for one second, but then focused on the next job. We are hungry. We came to win a World Cup, and that’s our goal. It won’t be easy, regardless of if it’s England or France. But I’m already excited – I'm ready for it to be eight days from now and the final to be here!” 

Canada will face the winner of Saturday’s semifinal between England and France in next weekend’s final at Allianz Stadium in London. 

CANADA SCORING SUMMARY  

Tries: Justine Pelletier (8'), Asia Hogan-Rochester (11'), Florence Symonds (24'), Sophie de Goede (35'), Alex Tessier (43') 
Conversions: Sophie de Goede (3) 
Penalty Goals: Sophie de Goede (74’) 

UP NEXT FOR CANADA  

Canada will play the winner of semi-final 2 between France and England, happening tomorrow at 3:30PM local time in England (10:30AM EST / 7:30AM PST). The Rugby World Cup final is on Saturday, September 27 at 10:30AM EST / 7:30PM (4:00PM local time in England) at Allianz Stadium in London, UK. The match will be broadcast live on TSN. 

CANADA’S WOMEN’S RUGBY TEAM MATCH DAY ROSTER VS NEW ZEALAND   

1. McKinley Hunt (King City, ON) – Aurora Barbarians / Saracens (36 caps)  
2. Emily Tuttosi (Souris, MB) - Calgary Hornets / Exeter Chiefs (39 caps)  
3. DaLeaka Menin (Vulcan, AB) – Calgary Hornets / Exeter Chiefs (67 caps)  
4. Sophie de Goede (Victoria, BC) - Castaway Wanderers / Saracens (39 caps)  
5. Courtney O'Donnell (Rimbey, AB) – Red Deer Titans Rugby (51 caps)    
6. Caroline Crossley (Victoria, BC) - Castaway Wanderers (11 caps)  
7. Karen Paquin (Quebec City, QC) - Club de rugby de Quebec (49 caps)  
8. Fabiola Forteza (Quebec City, QC) – Club de rugby de Québec / Stade Bordelais (39 caps)  
9. Justine Pelletier (Rivière-du-Loup, QC) – Club de rugby de Québec / Stade Bordelais (41 caps)  
10. Taylor Perry (Oakville, ON) - Oakville Crusaders / Exeter Chiefs (21 caps)  
11. Asia Hogan-Rochester (Toronto, ON) - Toronto Nomads / Westshore RFC (6 caps)   
12. Alexandra Tessier (Sainte-Clotilde-de-Horton, QC) – Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue RFC / Exeter Chiefs (64 caps)  
13. Florence Symonds (Vancouver, BC) - University of British Columbia (16 caps)  
14. Alysha Corrigan (Charlottetown, PEI) - CRFC / Saracens (24 caps)  
15. Julia Schell (Uxbridge, ON) – Guelph Goats / Castaway Wanderers / Ealing Trailfinders (30 caps)  
 
FINISHERS   

16. Gillian Boag (Calgary, AB) – Capilano RFC (37 caps)  
17. Brittany Kassil (Guelph, ON) – Guelph Goats (51 caps)    
18. Olivia DeMerchant (Mapledale, NB) - Halifax Tars RFC (64 caps)    
19. Tyson Beukeboom (Uxbridge, ON) – Cowichan Piggies / Aurora Barbarians / Ealing Trailfinders (82 caps)  
20. Laetitia Royer (Loretteville, QC) – St-Anne-de-Bellevue / Concordia University / Saracens (20 caps)  
21. Gabrielle Senft (Regina, SK) – Castaway Wanderers / Saracens (38 caps)  
22. Olivia Apps (Lindsay, ON) – Lindsay RFC (23 caps)  
23. Shoshanah Seumanutafa (White Rock, BC) – Counties Manukau (23 caps)  
 
MISSION: WIN RUGBY WORLD CUP    

In March 2025, Rugby Canada officially launched the Mission: Win Rugby World Cup (MWRWC) 2025 fundraising campaign with the goal of raising $1,000,000. Despite rising to the second world ranking, the Canadian women’s rugby team operates on a fractional budget compared to its closest competitors. This $1 million gap was identified to best equip the team with extra resources to help them make history.   
 
The mission is now within reach: over 95% of the fundraising goal has been pledged through generous individual donations and crowd funding. Rugby Canada extends its deep appreciation to all MWRWC supporters. For more information or to donate, visit rugby.ca/donate.