New Zealand rallies with late try to tie Canada in pulsating women's rugby clash

The Canadian Press

· Posted: May 17, 2025 12:55 PM EDT | Last Updated: 3 minutes ago

After a somewhat laboured commencement to the Pacific Four Series successful a 26-14 triumph implicit the U.S., Canada laid down a marker up of the Rugby World Cup with a pulsating 27-27 gully Saturday with reigning World Cup champion New Zealand.

Trailing 27-22, the third-ranked Black Ferns needed a effort with the timepiece successful the reddish to propulsion adjacent astatine Apollo Projects Stadium.

After kicking for interaction disconnected a Canadian offside penalty, New Zealand had a lineout 10 metres from the Canadian try-line with seconds remaining successful regularisation time. The second-ranked Canadians stopped the ensuing rolling maul but the Black Ferns started moving the shot broadside to side.

The last-ditch onslaught lasted 22 phases with Canada defending courageously earlier Sylvia Brunt cashed implicit successful the country to necktie the crippled astatine 27-27. Black Ferns alert fractional Ruahei Demant had a accidental to triumph it but missed a hard conversion from the sideline.

Shoshanah Seumanutafa had scored successful the 76th infinitesimal to springiness Canada a 27-22 lead, touching down with a hopeless lunge for the try-line aft breaking done 2 tacklers. Julia Schell missed the conversion leaving Canada up by 5 points.

It was a melodramatic finale to a high-tempo game, that was tied 12-12 aft a archetypal fractional that featured immoderate fierce if occasionally sloppy play astatine the breakdown. The precocious mistake complaint was not unexpected from 2 teams playing conscionable their 2nd trial of the year.

'Still a affirmative result'

The crippled was a measuring instrumentality for some teams immoderate 3 months up of the Rugby World Cup successful England wherever the 2 sides could conscionable successful the semifinal.

"What I said to the girls astatine the extremity of the crippled was that a mates of years agone we would person been blessed with a necktie crippled but present we are leaving disappointed," said Canada manager Kevin Rouet. "I deliberation we request to bespeak connected that and we tin inactive accidental that it was a bully show but with a batch to enactment on.

"I saw the players' faces astatine the extremity of the game, they were huffy but astatine the extremity of the time it's a necktie crippled against New Zealand successful New Zealand, truthful inactive a affirmative result."

The gully leaves Canada up of the Black Ferns successful the rankings.

There were large hits delivered by some sides, with Canadian flanker Karen Paquin flattening a New Zealand ball-runner successful the archetypal half.

Canadian backmost Asia Hogan-Rochester, who needed attraction precocious successful the archetypal half, was replaced astatine the break. In the 2nd half, Canada mislaid backrower Gabrielle Senft to wounded and skipper Alex Tessier erstwhile she failed a caput wounded assessment.

Canada impressed astatine acceptable pieces, controlling lineouts and bossing immoderate scrums.

"It was a choky conflict that truly could person gone either way," said Tessier. "I deliberation it's a spot unfortunate that we couldn't decorativeness that crippled with a triumph due to the fact that I thought we had it.

"We could person managed the crippled a spot amended to seal the triumph but we volition instrumentality the learnings from the extremity of that game. It is bully for america to beryllium successful large games similar this particularly this twelvemonth with the World Cup up of us."

1st ever triumph implicit New Zealand came successful 2024

Canada won past year's Pacific Four Series with its first-ever triumph implicit New Zealand, defeating the Black Ferns 22-19 successful Christchurch.

The Canadian women had mislaid each 17 meetings earlier that, with 10 of those defeats by 27 points oregon more. New Zealand had outscored Canada 718-176 earlier Saturday's game.

It was a back-and-forth matter with Canada doubly rallying from deficits to necktie New Zealand successful the archetypal half.

Hogan-Rochester, DaLeaka Menin, Alysha Corrigan and Olivia Apps besides scored tries for Canada. Schell kicked a conversion.

Ayesha Leti-I'iga scored 2 tries for New Zealand with Braxton Sorensen-McGee adding a single. Demant booted 2 conversions and a penalty.

New Zealand pulled up 19-12 successful the 54th infinitesimal erstwhile Leti-I'iga gathered successful Brunt's deft grubber footwear to people her 2nd try. Sorensen-McGee, an 18-year-old fullback playing successful conscionable her 2nd trial match, acceptable the array with a swerving tally done traffic.

Canada responded with Apps darting implicit for a effort aft a rolling maul stalled adjacent the Black Ferns try-line. But Schell missed the conversion adjacent the sideline, leaving Canada trailing 19-17. The Canadians kept coming and, taking vantage of a mediocre New Zealand clearing kick, scored again successful the 64th with Corrigan scoring connected an overlap for a 22-19 lead.

The Black Ferns, who defeated No. 6 Australia 38-12 successful its tourney opener past Saturday successful Newcastle, Australia, tied it up successful the 69th infinitesimal via a Demant punishment footwear successful beforehand of the posts.

Australia hosted the ninth-ranked U.S. successful Canberra aboriginal Saturday.

Canada closes retired the tourney against Australia astatine Suncorp Stadium successful Brisbane connected May 23. That aforesaid day, New Zealand plays the U.S. successful Auckland.

The Pacific Four Series marks the Canadian women's archetypal clip unneurotic this twelvemonth up of the World Cup, which runs Aug. 22 to Sept. 27 successful England. Canada has been drawn successful Pool B with No. 7 Scotland, No. 10 Wales and No. 16 Fiji.