England, Canada and Scotland reach Women’s Rugby World Cup quarters
England, Canada and Scotland advanced to the Women’s Rugby World Cup quarterfinals on Saturday, Scotland for the first time since 1998.
Title favorite England tore apart Samoa 92-3 in Northampton for its biggest World Cup win and go two for two in the pool stage.
Australia failed to progress on the same day with England when it played out a 31-31 thriller in York with the United States, which stayed in quarterfinal contention.
Canada, eyeing the title, overwhelmed Wales 42-0 while Scotland defeated Fiji 29-15 in a gripping second contest in the Manchester doubleheader.
“Fiji were brilliant but we stuck together … five tries, bonus point, we’ve done the job,” Scotland coach Bryan Easson said.
England 92 Samoa 3
The result eclipsed England’s previous biggest World Cup win, 84-19 against Fiji in 2022.
The scoreline was no surprise. England won a 29th straight test. None of the Samoans have played 29 tests. They’re at their first World Cup in 11 years.
A week after their previous heaviest World Cup loss by 73-0 to Australia, the Samoans felt far from embarrassed at Franklin’s Gardens. They celebrated their first points of the tournament, the penalty kick by flyhalf Harmony Vatau, a warehouse assistant, after a scrum tighthead.
“I was feeding off the crowd and the girls, they hyped me up and gave me energy,” Vatau told the BBC. After the match, the Manusina danced with the Red Roses and went on a lap of honor.
England made 13 changes after beating the United States 69-7 in the opening game and lost nothing in flow or strength or ambition.
“We never use the term second team, we know our part and how that can change at any time,” England flanker Abi Burton told the BBC. “When we get opportunities to play we have to be the best we can be.”
The Red Roses scored 14 tries, bringing up the bonus-point fourth in the 16th minute. Flyhalf Helena Rowland converted 11, including for her own try from the sideline. Her 27-point haul was a record for England in World Cups.
There was a hat trick for wing Jess Breach, who reached 52 test tries, the fifth England woman to the milestone and third in the squad after Emily Scarratt and Marlie Packer. Stand-in captain Packer also dotted down for her 52nd.
Samoa started giving England a match only when replacement prop Tori Iosefo, a primary school teacher, stiffened their scrum. But after she limped off in the 69th, England scored three tries, including the last by wing Claudia Moloney-MacDonald, who a year ago was just returning from a second neck injury.
United States 31, Australia 31
Just the third draw in World Cup history kept the U.S. Eagles’ playoff hopes alive and will probably cost the Wallaroos.
Australia would have advanced with a win but must now topple England, or at least lose narrowly. By the time it faces England next weekend, it will know exactly what’s required.
The Americans will have already played Samoa, the much easier assignment. The Eagles should beat Samoa and then the race with Australia will likely come down to points difference.
The lead in York changed three times in the last half-hour.
The Eagles trailed 14-5 at halftime but led for the first time in the 51st minute at 17-14 after tries by forwards Keia Mae Sagapolu and Freda Tafuna.
The Wallaroos hit back with second tries for backs Desiree Miller and Caitlyn Halse to go up 26-17 with 13 minutes to go.
But the Eagles rallied again. Tafuna scored her third try from a lineout drive, though after the match she said it should have been credited to prop Hope Rogers, and lock Erica Jarell-Searcy scooted between the posts. They were on top 31-26 with eight to go.
Wallaroos prop Eva Karpani tied the score from a lineout drive but Samantha Wood missed the go-ahead conversion attempt. She was three-of-five for goalkicks in swirly, damp conditions, just like U.S. counterpart McKenzie Hawkins.
But Hawkins missed her first two conversion attempts in unusual circumstances. On her first kick, the ball fell off the tee and the clock timed out, and on the second, the ball hit both posts and came back.
Canada 42 Wales 0
The Canada tight five were exceptional. They lost only two set-pieces — both lineout overthrows — and sent every Wales scrum in reverse. They also stormed around Salford Community Stadium, a big reason Canada could reel off long phase plays and a 15-meter rolling maul try.
Prop McKinley Hunt scored two tries, her replacement Brittany Kassil one, and lock Sophie de Goede was the player of the match for 20 carries, 10 tackles and six-for-six off the tee.
Wales responded to being embarrassed by Scotland last weekend but pride couldn’t overcome power.
In the first half, Canada made six visits to the Wales 22 and netted four grand tries in 15 minutes.
Hunt pounded two in, right wing Alysha Corrigan capped 12 phases, then left wing Asia Hogan-Rochester scored a great 70-meter try fending one tackler and hurdling another.
The second half became untidy as the benches cleared and both sides were yellow-carded. Canada finished with 27 turnovers.
Canada No. 8 Gabrielle Senft had a 16-phase try ruled out because of a knock-on, but a review sent Wales counterpart Georgia Evans to the sin-bin for a head-high tackle.
With the hard-working Evans gone, Wales conceded tries to flyhalf Taylor Perry after 11 phases and Kassil after the driving maul from 15 out.
Canada went to 14 women when prop Olivia DeMerchant was sin-binned for a head-high tackle. But they still nilled the Welsh for a third time in their eighth straight win against Wales since 2007.
Scotland 29 Fiji 15
Scotland deserved the win in the rain but was pushed the entire way by Fiji, which will wonder how closer the result might have been if it had kept 15 players on the field.
Fiji played more than 30 minutes with 14 women after a red and two yellow cards. And, yet, every time the Fijians looked down and out they got back up and hit back.
“The Fijian flair was flaring out there,” Scotland wing Rhona Lloyd said.
Scotland made another great start. Left wing Francesca McGhie, who scored after 54 seconds against Wales, scored after 95 seconds.
Center Emma Orr hacked the ball for McGhie to chase, and finished the first half by stealing Fiji ruck ball for the other wing, Lloyd, to score her second try and a 17-5 halftime lead.
Fiji had a bad start; 18-year-old wing Michella’e Stolz left injured and prop Vika Matarugu was yellow-carded for a high tackle. But prop Loraina Senivutu scored after a big run by flanker Nunia Daunimoala.
Fiji started the second half much better. Adi Salote Nailolo, Alowesi Nakoci and Daunimoala ripped apart Scotland and, though hooker Bitila Tawake was held up, No. 8 Manuqalo Komaitai crashed over.
But Nailolo was too casual with the conversion attempt in front of the posts and was charged down by McGhie.
McGhie’s second try gave Scotland a four-try bonus point and, in a double blow to Fiji, Tawake’s tackle on counterpart Elis Martin was deemed too high. Her yellow card was upgraded to a 20-minute red.
Scotland standout Orr then put them out of sight at 29-10 by beating three forwards en route to the try-line.
Scotland spent the last quarter trying to stem Fiji attacks. Nakoci had a try ruled out for a knock-on and Kelerayani Luvu was denied a try only by McGhie. Prop Karalaini Naisewa barged over and Nailolo finished in the sin-bin for a deliberate knock-on, missing her teammates’ 70-meter breakout with the clock in red.
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AP rugby: https://apnews.com/hub/rugby
By FOSTER NIUMATA
Associated Press
