Monday July 18, 2023 (Langford, BC) – Canada’s Women’s Rugby Team will play first in the world ranked England in a two-match series this September, marking the first time these teams have faced off since the 2021 Rugby World Cup (played in 2022) semi-final.
The series opener will be played at Exeter’s Sandy Park on Saturday September 23 (kick-off 6:30 a.m. PT / 9:30 a.m. ET), the home of the Exeter Chiefs, the Premier 15s team that includes the likes of Canadians Emily Tuttosi, DaLeaka Menin and Gabrielle Senft. The second match will take place on Saturday September 30 at a venue and time still to be confirmed.
Canada and England last met in the semi-finals at the Rugby World Cup in November 2022, with England taking the win by a close score of 26-19. The series in England follows the 2023 World Rugby Pacific Four Series and will serve as preparation for WXV, a new three-tier annual global women’s international 15s competition. Both Canada and England will be competing in the top tier (WXV 1) in New Zealand along with the Black Ferns, Australia, France and Wales, with matches set for October 20-21 in Wellington, October 27-28 in Dunedin and November 3-4 in Auckland.
“Playing against top nations like England is crucial as we build towards the 2025 Rugby World Cup,” said Canada’s Women’s Rugby Team Head Coach Kevin Rouet. “Our team will look to carry over and continue to build upon our successes and learnings from the Pacific Four Series, with these two matches against England providing us with challenging competition.”
Tickets are on sale on the England Rugby website, and more information on how to watch and follow in Canada will be announced shortly.
About Rugby Canada
Rugby Canada is the national governing body of the sport of Rugby Union in Canada. They administer and operate Men’s and Women’s Senior and Junior National programs in both rugby 15s and 7s, as well as govern the Club and community game for more than 30,000 registered participants from coast to coast in conjunction with ten Provincial Union members.
Rugby Canada is headquartered at the Al Charron National Training Centre in Langford, BC, with staff also working from Vancouver, Toronto and Ottawa. Rugby Canada business operations, programs and events are delivered nationwide, including the internationally recognized HSBC Canada Sevens annual tournaments.