England and Canada roar into a WXV rugby rematch after big opening wins

England and Canada are set to face off in a rematch of their Women's Rugby World Cup final from last year, after both teams made impressive openings to the new WXV Global Series on Saturday. England, the Red Roses, came back from a halftime deficit since 2020 to defeat Australia 48-15, scoring seven tries in the second half. Canada dominated Scotland 64-26 in Edinburgh.

The rematch between England and Canada is scheduled for next Saturday in Exeter, their first matchup since the World Cup final held at Twickenham a year ago, where England won 33-13. In their first match since claiming a record eighth consecutive Women's Six Nations title in May, England suffered from errors in the first half and struggled against Australia's robust defense.

However, a lineout maul try by hooker May Campbell fueled England's momentum in the second half, extending their record winning streak to 39 matches. Canada, who began the match with reigning world player of the year and captain Sophie de Goede on the bench, managed to outscore Scotland with 10 tries, scoring five in each half. Brittany Kassil, the prop, received a yellow card for a high tackle, which later became a 20-minute red card at 45-12, and added three more tries for Canada.

Canada also debuted three players, including sevens players Charity Williams and Savannah Bauder, who both had a try disallowed and one soloed respectively. In a separate match, New Zealand's Mia Anderson starred as flanker, leading the Black Ferns to a 28-14 victory against France. Anderson scored one try and played a significant role in two others, helping the Black Ferns continue their winning streak at 6-0.

France's Lina Queyroi made a crucial contribution as she completed a move she initiated with a chip to narrow the gap to seven points, but Anderson then scored to restore the 14-point lead. New Zealand is scheduled to face Scotland next weekend.