England Red Roses reach Women’s Rugby World Cup final with victory against Canada

England are now just 80 minutes away from World Cup glory, but the nature of their 26-19 semi-final win over Canada will give either hosts New Zealand or France hopes of a major final upset.

Simon Middleton’s squad did enough to secure a 30th straight win at Eden Park.

Canada couldn’t cause the ultimate upset – mainly due to Abby Dow’s excellent brace – but for the first time in a long time they showed that England can get into trouble.

The Red Roses, the dominant force of women’s rugby, were made to look unusually vulnerable.

The sensational finish from Dow, who had recovered from a broken leg just in time to reach New Zealand, put them out of trouble.

The Canadian forwards had great fun against an English peloton who were used to sweeping everyone in front of them and their rugby was a joy to watch, especially in the first half.

England led only 15-12 at halftime. They lacked accuracy during the first 40, but it should be noted that Canada was exceptional, with the Auckland winds not doing them any favors.

England and head coach Middleton were shocked

Now only the Black Ferns or their opponents in the group stage France stand between them and the trophy. Whoever encounters England will watch this game knowing that the Red Roses can be beaten.

Canada’s almost entirely amateur squad can be proud of their efforts here. They were exceptional.

England made two late substitutions on the eve of kick-off. Prop Hannah Botterman and reverse scrum half Lucy Packer were late pullouts with knee and ankle injuries, respectively.

Vickii Cornborough replaced Botterman with Middleton who knocked over his bench with six forwards with Shaunagh Brown and Sadia Kabeya coming in the 23rd.

England’s Emily Scarratt got off to a bad start with two early spills within 90 seconds followed by a charged down kick.

But the experienced center did follow up with a nice offload to Tatyana Heard. England’s first attempt came from a trusted source.

As she had done with a hat-trick in the quarter-final victory over Australia, Marlie Packer took advantage of the power of the Red Roses driving maul.

Scarratt added a precise conversion, but then threw a bad pass to gift Canada possession.

England’s second attempt was made by Helena Rowland and was a superb finish by Dow, who showed both strength and speed to defeat two Canadian defenders and score into the corner. Canada hit back with a great try after Scarratt’s conversion attempt hit the post.

Scrum half Justine Pelletier made a brilliant break and kicked forward. Flanker Karen Paquin won the race to the finish. England was far from perfect. Zoe Harrison’s reboot went full steam ahead. Canada’s limping backs also caused problems.

But Harrison responded to a rare error with a fine kick of 50:22. It summed up her impressive tactical acumen. Abbie Ward was held up across the line. England was ahead, but did not fire on all cylinders. Canada sure was.

They soon had a second one. It was fine rugby. The Canadian forward sent England’s vaunted peloton into reverse, after which the ball was spread wide. Alysha Corrigan was the player who scored.

The conversion of Canadian captain Sophie de Goede tied the score. Scarratt kicked a simple penalty just before half-time to give England a narrow lead, but the fact that she chose it showed that the Red Roses realized they were in a game.

Scarratt started the second half as she had finished the first by scoring three more easy runs before England fullback Rowland – who had been her team’s bright spark – lost to injury.

Rowland was buggy pushed off the field with what appeared to be a lower leg injury and was replaced by Ellie Kildunne. Rowland must now be seen as a big final doubt and was seen wearing a protective boot and on crutches after returning to the couch.

England looked in trouble. They camped on their own line and under relentless pressure.

But when they regained possession, they went all over the field to score. Claudia MacDonald started the move by running the ball out of danger, then cleverly identifying space inside for fellow winger Dow, who did the rest by giving the Canadian tacklers a merry dance.

Middleton’s ecstatic celebrations in the coaching box told you all about how important the try was. Canada still quietly refused to go. Their attackers went to work and forced a yellow card for England prop Cornborough. With a player advantage, Canada then misaligned the lineout.

At that time, England captain Sarah Hunter had already been replaced after a quiet game. Packer was also taken surprisingly. England couldn’t get away without her. Canada closed down to four points in the last 10 minutes.

Substitute Tyson Beukeboom stuck out for a powerful Canadian forward effort as England were defeated in their own game. De Goede converted to 23-19. Scarratt, who had taken over from Hunter as captain, gave her team a stern and long talk behind the posts, but went straight to the other side to score a crucial penalty.

It was enough for England to beat a stormy World Cup match. This was a fantastic advertisement for the women’s game, but one that Middleton and his players should learn from. France or New Zealand will be one step further than Canada.