Canada ends England’s unbeaten run

November 12, 2022, was the date of England’s last Test defeat before the loss to Canada in Toronto a week ago. That result ended a long spell without defeat for the Red Roses.

Sky Sports notes that before the 2022 loss, the team had also put together a 30-Test winning run from November 2019 to November 2022. Before last week’s defeat, England had won 70 of its previous 72 Tests.

The Toronto match came in a series that had already shown Canada’s ability to compete. Last month, the teams were level at 19-19 at Twickenham in the closing moments, before the Red Roses snatched victory. A month earlier, they had drawn in Exeter. In Toronto, Canada fought back from 21-12 down and went on to win.

Earlier margins between the teams underline how much the picture has changed. In 2023, England scored 50 and then 45 points in two one-sided Test wins over Canada. In the 2025 World Cup final at Twickenham, Canada stayed competitive before England pulled clear. Canada’s rise, alongside the apparent resurgence of New Zealand’s Black Ferns, is adding to the competition, while England’s dominance had made some Six Nations matches increasingly one-sided.

That progress has also required a significant preparation effort. Bringing together players from eight of Canada’s 13 provinces and territories, spread across six time zones, prompted a fundraising campaign with a target of C$1 million, or £535,355. The women’s Canadian teams in sevens and 15-a-side rugby now lead the men’s team as the country’s flagship sides, following rugby’s shift to open professionalism in 1995.

England now has an immediate opportunity to respond: the third Test against Canada is scheduled for Friday in Ottawa. Red Roses head coach John Mitchell had already spoken in recent months about the possibility of his side losing. Captain Meg Jones, an influential leader since taking on the role earlier this year, stressed the importance of unity this week: “For us, the biggest thing is that we stick together.”

This week, Rouet also signed a new contract with Canada through 2030, as the team builds towards the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles and the 2029 Women’s Rugby World Cup.