England's Red Roses have seen their impressive 41-match unbeaten streak come to an end after a 24-21 defeat to Canada in Toronto. The loss marks England's first defeat in four years, with their previous loss occurring in the 2022 World Cup final against New Zealand.
Canada secured the victory with a late charge, as Shoshanah Seumanutafa scored the match-winning try in the 77th minute. This result follows a 26-26 draw between the two teams last month in Exeter.
The match, played in front of a record crowd of 18,621 for a women's rugby union game in North America, saw Canada open the scoring through Savannah Bauder. England briefly took the lead before half-time with tries from Maddie Feaunati and Zoe Harrison.
England's head coach John Mitchell stated he would focus on the positives from the defeat. The Red Roses are set to play Canada again next Saturday in Ottawa, in the second encounter of their two-game Rugby Rematch Tour.