Red Roses’ 39-match winning streak ends with electric draw with Canada

England's remarkable 39-match winning streak came to an end when they were held to a 26-26 draw by Canada in a thrilling rematch of the 2022 Rugby World Cup final. The Red Roses, who had never lost since a defeat in last year's World Cup final, managed to extend their unbeaten streak to 40 matches in a gripping clash at Sandy Park.

Canada achieved a historic first draw against the Red Roses on English soil, providing a much-needed confidence boost ahead of their upcoming home Tests. England captain Meg Jones praised the match, calling it "amazing Test-match rugby" and emphasized the team's desire for competitive battles in future encounters. She acknowledged that their last pass and discipline let them down, vowing to improve.

The two sides met for the first time in three autumn meetings, with Canada heading to Toronto and Ottawa in the following months. Just a year after their dominant 33-13 victory at Twickenham, this match was far more closely contested, with both teams scoring four tries each in a gripping contest. England regrouped twice in the first 25 minutes, with Claudia Moloney-MacDonald and Hannah Botterman responding to Lizzie Gibson and the match's player of the match, DaLeaka Menin.

Moloney-MacDonald scored a second try to put the Red Roses ahead for the first time, having had another disallowed try. However, Menin equalized shortly before halftime, and the score remained 19-19 after the restart. Despite a surge of pressure from Canada in the closing stages, the two sides remained evenly matched, with Bryony Field putting England back in front before Olivia Apps scored under the posts.

Canada's captain, Menin, expressed the challenge they faced, acknowledging that they didn't get exactly what they wanted but hailed it as "a great game of rugby." She emphasized that this was just the start of their journey. England's Mitchell's side are set to face New Zealand at Twickenham in their next match.