Photo via BBC Sport

Canada end England's winning run in frenetic draw

England's historic streak of 39 consecutive victories was halted after a dramatic 26-26 stalemate against Canada at Sandy Park, where 14,573 spectators watched each side touch down four times. The visitors struck early courtesy of Lizzie Gibson and DaLeaka Menin, but England answered both times through Claudia Moloney-MacDonald and Hannah Botterman.

Moloney-MacDonald later secured her brace via Sadia Kabeya's break, only for Menin to bundle over for her second score to deadlock the match 19-19 by the interval. Earlier, both teams had tries disallowed, with Moloney-MacDonald denied and Asia Hogan-Rochester losing a solo effort to an improper delivery.

Second-half tries from England forward Bryony Field and Canadian scrum-half Olivia Apps, set up by Sophie de Goede, along with three conversions each from Zoe Harrison and De Goede, rounded out the shared total.

The hard-fought outcome preserved John Mitchell's side's 40-game undefeated sequence while breaking a perfect record of 13 previous home wins over the Canadians. It marked the first instance of England failing to beat an opponent since their 2022 World Cup decider against New Zealand, preceding a stretch that began in March 2023 and yielded four Women's Six Nations trophies, two WXV1 crowns, and a 2025 World Cup triumph.

England are scheduled to host the Black Ferns at Allianz Stadium on 26 September before travelling across the Atlantic for a two-match series in Canada this October.