Canada Storm into Rugby World Cup Semi-Final with 46–5 Win over Australia

Saturday, September 13, 2025 (Bristol, England) — Canada’s Women’s Rugby Team powered into the Rugby World Cup semi-finals in Bristol with a 46–5 victory over Australia, extending their perfect all-time record against the Wallaroos to 8–0. 

The world’s No. 2-ranked side ran in seven tries, with Alysha Corrigan scoring twice and Sophie de Goede turning in another performance that earned her the Mastercard Player of the Match honours. 

First-half statement 

Canada wasted little time in stamping their authority on the match. Just two minutes in, Asia Hogan-Rochester raced down the left wing to open the scoring. While Australia answered soon after through Desiree Miller, Canada seized back momentum with a dazzling 10-minute stretch. 

Alysha Corrigan finished brilliantly on the right flank to restore the lead, before de Goede picked up and powered over from close range. Corrigan added her second try shortly after, finishing off the play after stretching the Australia defense thin. 

McKinley Hunt then crossed following a driving maul just before halftime to give Canada a 31–5 advantage at the break. The Canadians dominated every metric in the opening 40 minutes, carrying for more than 500 metres and beating three times as many defenders as their opponents. 

Composure in the wet 

Heavy rain greeted the teams after the interval, slowing the tempo of play, but Canada stayed composed. Fabiola Forteza’s powerful solo effort off a stolen line-out extended the lead in the 50th minute, before captain Alex Tessier calmly slotted a late penalty to wind down the clock. 

Veteran Karen Paquin added a flourish in the dying moments, bursting through the line for a 20-metre score that underlined Canada’s dominance and delighted the travelling Canadian supporters at Ashton Gate. 

Canada, now unbeaten through four matches at the Rugby World Cup and yet to trail at any point throughout the tournament, will face reigning champions New Zealand in the semi-finals on Friday night in Bristol. The Black Ferns advanced with a 46–17 win over South Africa in their quarter-final. 

By the numbers 
Canada dictated play over the Wallaroos across the board, carrying for 754 metres compared to 289, beating 49 defenders to Australia’s 17, and offloading 17 times to the Wallaroos’ single offload. Defensively, Canada completed 87% of their tackles, with Australia managing 75%. De Goede’s stat line was once again emblematic of her influence: one try, four conversions, and a team-high 78 metres carried. 

What they said 

Player of the Match Sophie de Goede praised her team’s versatility: 
“It’s incredible. We're just rolling. We’ve checked off every job we’ve wanted to do so far, and this is another ticked box. Real credit to Australia, it was a tough game. You could’ve given the Player of the Match to so many players out there, and to the impact subs that finished the game incredibly. That’s what makes us a great team, it’s our versatility and adaptability.” 

Captain Alex Tessier emphasized the importance of Canada’s fast start: 
“We looked right away from the get-go to impose our tempo, and I think we managed to do that very well in the first half. We managed to put up a lot of points early, and it was a good start for us. We’re proud of what we’ve done today, but now it’s about switching our mindset to the semi-final. It’s a quick turnaround, so we’ll recover, reassess, and get ready for Friday.” 

Head Coach Kevin Rouet lauded his team’s performance, especially the opening 40 minutes: 
“I would say the first half was the best we’ve played at this World Cup. Not a lot of mistakes, a lot of success in the way we want to play the game. I’m very happy for the girls. We are confident heading into the semi-final. It’s going to be a tight game for sure, but we hope to win.” 

CANADA SCORING SUMMARY  
Tries: Asia Hogan-Rochester (2'), Alysha Corrigan (14', 20'), Sophie de Goede (17'), McKinley Hunt (38'), Fabiola Forteza (50'), Karen Paquin (77') 

Conversions: Sophie de Goede (4) 

Penalty Goals: Alex Tessier (72') 

NEXT UP FOR CANADA 
Canada’s semi-final match against New Zealand will be played on Friday, September 19 at 11:00am PT / 2:00pm ET (7:00pm local time in England). The match schedule for the Rugby World Cup can be found here. 
 
The Women’s Rugby World Cup final at Twickenham next month is sold out with 82,000 fans, making it the most attended women’s rugby union match ever. Over 400,000 tickets have been sold across all matches so far — three times more than the 2021 World Cup in New Zealand. 

CANADA’S WOMEN’S RUGBY TEAM MATCH DAY ROSTER VS AUSTRALIA 
1. McKinley Hunt (King City, ON) – Aurora Barbarians / Saracens (35 caps) 
2. Emily Tuttosi (Souris, MB) - Calgary Hornets / Exeter Chiefs (38 caps) 
3. DaLeaka Menin (Vulcan, AB) – Calgary Hornets / Exeter Chiefs (66 caps) 
4. Sophie de Goede (Victoria, BC) - Castaway Wanderers / Saracens (38 caps) 
5. Courtney O'Donnell (Rimbey, AB) – Red Deer Titans Rugby (50 caps)   
6. Caroline Crossley (Victoria, BC) - Castaway Wanderers (10 caps) 
7. Karen Paquin (Quebec City, QC) - Club de rugby de Quebec (48 caps) 
8. Fabiola Forteza (Quebec City, QC) – Club de rugby de Québec / Stade Bordelais (38 caps) 
9. Justine Pelletier (Rivière-du-Loup, QC) – Club de rugby de Québec / Stade Bordelais (40 caps) 
10. Taylor Perry (Oakville, ON) - Oakville Crusaders / Exeter Chiefs (20 caps) 
11. Asia Hogan-Rochester (Toronto, ON) - Toronto Nomads / Westshore RFC (5 caps)  
12. Alexandra Tessier (Sainte-Clotilde-de-Horton, QC) – Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue RFC / Exeter Chiefs (63 caps) 
13. Florence Symonds (Vancouver, BC) - University of British Columbia (15 caps) 
14. Alysha Corrigan (Charlottetown, PEI) - CRFC / Saracens (23 caps) 
15. Julia Schell (Uxbridge, ON) – Guelph Goats / Castaway Wanderers / Ealing Trailfinders (29 caps) 
 
FINISHERS  
16. Gillian Boag (Calgary, AB) – Capilano RFC (36 caps) 
17. Brittany Kassil (Guelph, ON) – Guelph Goats (50 caps)   
18. Olivia DeMerchant (Mapledale, NB) - Halifax Tars RFC (63 caps)   
19. Tyson Beukeboom (Uxbridge, ON) – Cowichan Piggies / Aurora Barbarians / Ealing Trailfinders (81 caps) 
20. Laetitia Royer (Loretteville, QC) – St-Anne-de-Bellevue / Concordia University / Saracens (19 caps) 
21. Gabrielle Senft (Regina, SK) – Castaway Wanderers / Saracens (37 caps) 
22. Olivia Apps (Lindsay, ON) – Lindsay RFC (22 caps) 
23. Shoshanah Seumanutafa (White Rock, BC) – Counties Manukau (22 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.