Red Roses into RWC Final after beating Canada
The Red Roses defeated Canada 26-19 in their Rugby World Cup semi-final in Auckland.
Simon Middleton's side ran in three tries at Eden Park, stretching their record-breaking run of Test wins to 30 in a row, and reaching a sixth consecutive Rugby World Cup final.
Tries from Marlie Packer and Abby Dow, as well as 11 points from the boot of Emily Scarratt secured the victory.
England took the lead on the 8-minute mark, thanks to a powerful rolling maul off the back of a five metre lineout, Packer was the benefactor at the back and Emily Scarratt added the extras for an early 7-0 lead.
The Red Roses' second came moments later, as Helena Rowland returned a lacklustre Canadian kick with meaningful attack, taking on multiple defenders before feeding Dow out wide, who rounded Alex Tessier to claim the try.
A moment of magic from scrum half Justine Pelletier after 20 minutes saw team mate Karen Paquin go over, as Canada wrestled momentum back, and a converted Alysha Corrigan try levelled the match at 12-12 as half time approached. But Scarratt slotted a penalty to hand England a slender lead at the break.
The half time stats highlighted how competitive the Test was: England making 109 more metres and beating 10 extra defenders than their opponents, with Canada boasting more clean breaks.
The Red Roses struck early at the resumption through the boot of Scarratt, who claimed her eighth point of the match with an easy penalty, as injury forced Rowland off the pitch moments later, replaced by Ellie Kildunne.
Camped on their five metre line, with Canadian phases into double digits, England showed monumental defensive spirit to deny a third try on the 50-minute mark. Regaining possession on their own line, the Red Roses spread the ball wide and cantered up the pitch - spearheaded by Claudia MacDonald - who linked up with Dow, before the wing showed blistering pace to run in unopposed for her second score, making it 23-12.
Referee Aimee Barrett-Theron showed Vickii Cornborough a yellow card on 53 minutes for joining a maul incorrectly, and England managed her absence well, not conceding any points despite having 14 players on the pitch.
Canadian pressure was constant however, and replacement Tyson Beukeboom crossed with 13 minutes left in the match. Sophie De Goede's extras made it 23-19.
But moments after the restart, England won a penalty and Scarratt stepped up to pump the 30 metre effort over the posts to give England a 7 point cushion, and England held on to confirm a famous win - their ninth consecutive against Canada.
Reaction
Sarah Hunter: "Hopefully that was a great showcase of what women's rugby is all about, it went right down to the wire, and I'm so proud of how the team dug in at the end because Canada kept coming, but the girls put their bodies on the line and that's what it means to us, we were desperate to get to the final."
Emily Scarratt: "It was really tough. We know exactly what the crowd will be like next week whoever we play, if it's France or New Zealand, I have no doubt a large proportion of the crowd will be supporting them, but we don't care because when you think about bucket list stuff this is right up there. It'll be phenomenal."
TEAMS
Red Roses
Starters
15. Helena Rowland, 14. Abby Dow, 13. Emily Scarratt, 12. Tatyana Heard, 11. Claudia MacDonald, 10. Zoe Harrison, 9. Leanne Infante, 1. Vickii Cornborough, 2. Amy Cokayne, 3. Sarah Bern, 4. Zoe Aldcroft, 5. Abbie Ward, 6. Alex Matthews, 7. Marlie Packer, 8. Sarah Hunter.
Finishers
16. Lark Davies, 17. Maud Muir, 18. Shaunagh Brown, 19. Rosie Galligan, 20. Poppy Cleall, 21. Sadia Kabeya, 22. Holly Aitchison, 23. Ellie Kildunne.
Canada
Starters
15. Elissa Alarie, 14. Maddy Grant, 13. Alysha Corrigan, 12. Sara Juvee, 11. Paige Farries, 10. Alex Tessier, 9. Justine Pelletier, 1. Olivia Demerchant, 2. Emily Tuttosi, 3. Daleaka Menin, 4. Courtney Holtkamp, 5. Mckinley Hunt, 6. Fabiola Forteza, 7. Karen Paquin, 8. Sophie De Goede (C).
Replacements
16. Gillian Boag, 17. Brittany Kassil, 18. Alex Ellis, 19. Ngalula Fuamba, 20. Tyson Beukeboom, 21. Gabrielle Senft, 22. Sara Svoboda, 23. Anais Holly.
ROUTE TO THE FINAL
Round 1 - Red Roses 84 - 19 Fiji
Round 2 - Red Roses 13 - 7 France
Round 3 - Red Roses 75 - 0 South Africa
Quarter Final - Red Roses 41 - 5 Australia
Semi Final - Red Roses 26 - 19 Canada
