WXV1 Head-To-Head: Canada v Ireland

Two of the victorious teams from WXV1’s opening round meet in Langley today, as Ireland come up against tournament hosts Canada (kick-off 3.45pm local time/11.45pm Irish time – live on RugbyPass TV/BBC iPlayer), eager to build on the momentum created by their stirring win over New Zealand.

WXV1 – ROUND 2:

Saturday, October 5 –

CANADA (2nd) v IRELAND (3rd), Langley Events Centre, Langley, 3.45pm local time/11.45pm Irish time (live on RugbyPass TV/BBC iPlayer)

CANADA: Taylor Perry (Oakville Crusaders/Exeter Chiefs); Fancy Bermudez (NWAA/Westshore RFC/Saracens), Shoshanah Seumanutafa (Counties Manukau), Alex Tessier (Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue RFC/Exeter Chiefs), Alysha Corrigan (CRFC/Saracens); Claire Gallagher (Aurora Barbarians/Leicester Tigers), Justine Pelletier (Club de rugby de Québec/Stade Bordelais); Brittany Kassil (Guelph Goats), Emily Tuttosi (Calgary Hornets/Exeter Chiefs), Alexandria Ellis (Barrhaven Scottish/Stade Français Paris), Tyson Beukeboom (Cowichan Piggies/Aurora Barbarians/Trailfinders Women) (capt), Courtney Holtkamp (Red Deer Titans Rugby), Pamphinette Buisa (Ottawa Irish), Caroline Crossley (Castaway Wanderers), Gabrielle Senft (Castaway Wanderers/Saracens).

Replacements: Sara Cline (Leprechaun Tigers), McKinley Hunt (Aurora Barbarians/Saracens), Rori Wood (College Rifles RFC), Laetitia Royer (St-Anne-de-Bellevue/Concordia University/ASM Romagnat), Fabiola Forteza (Club de rugby de Québec/Stade Bordelais), Julia Omokhuale (Calgary Irish Rugby Club/Leicester Tigers), Olivia Apps (Lindsay RFC), Julia Schell (Guelph Goats/Castaway Wanderers/Trailfinders Women).

IRELAND: Stacey Flood (Railway Union RFC); Eimear Considine (UL Bohemian RFC/Munster), Eve Higgins (Railway Union RFC), Enya Breen (Blackrock College RFC/Munster) (capt), Amee-Leigh Murphy Crowe (Railway Union RFC/Munster); Dannah O’Brien (Old Belvedere RFC/Leinster), Emily Lane (Blackrock College RFC); Niamh O’Dowd (Old Belvedere RFC/Leinster), Clíodhna Moloney (Exeter Chiefs), Linda Djougang (Old Belvedere RFC/Leinster), Dorothy Wall (Exeter Chiefs/Munster), Fiona Tuite (Old Belvedere RFC/Ulster), Erin King (Old Belvedere RFC), Aoife Wafer (Blackrock College RFC/Leinster), Brittany Hogan (Old Belvedere RFC/Ulster).

Replacements: Neve Jones (Gloucester-Hartpury), Siobhán McCarthy (Gloucester-Hartpury/Munster), Andrea Stock (Trailfinders Women/IQ Rugby), Grace Moore (Trailfinders Women/IQ Rugby), Deirbhile Nic a Bháird (Old Belvedere RFC/Munster), Molly Scuffil-McCabe (Leinster), Nicole Fowley (Galwegians RFC/Connacht), Aoife Dalton (Old Belvedere RFC/Leinster).

Referee: Aimee Barrett-Theron (South Africa)
Assistant Referees: Maggie Cogger-Orr (New Zealand), Jenny Lui (USA)
TMO: Andrew McMenemy (Scotland)

HEAD-TO-HEAD

2002-2016 | Played 3 | Canada 2 | Ireland 1 | Drawn 0
Points for: Canada 113/Ireland 22 (Average score: 38-7)
Highest score: Canada 57 (57-0 on May 13, 2002)/Ireland 15 (15-8 on April 29, 2006)
Biggest winning margin: Canada 57 (57-0 on May 13, 2002)/Ireland 7 (15-8 on April 29, 2006)

PREVIOUS MEETINGS

2002: Rugby World Cup Pool D: Canada 57 Ireland 0, Estadi de Palau, Girona, Spain
2006: Canada Tour: Ireland 15 Canada 8, the Sportsground
2016: November Series: Ireland 7 Canada 48, UCD Bowl

• This will be their first meeting on Canadian soil, and first for eight years since Canada ran out convincing 48-7 winners at the UCD Bowl in November 2016
• Julianne Zussman, who is the referee for today’s WXV1 match between France and the USA, scored a brace of tries, with DaLeaka Menin, Karen Paquin, Emily Belchos, Laura Russell, and Magali Harvey also dotting down
• Andrea Burk converted five of the seven tries and also kicked a penalty
• Nikki Caughey converted her own try early in the second half for Ireland’s only points
• Nicole Fowley is the only player in Ireland’s current squad involved that day in Dublin, while Canada have four in their squad in Menin, Paquin, Alex Tessier, and Tyson Beukeboom
• This encounter came 10 years after their previous match on Irish soil, the hosts winning 15-8 thanks to tries from Caroline Mahon, Orla Brennan, and Joy Neville
• Their first meeting 22 years ago came at the 2002 Rugby World Cup in Spain, with Christie Thompson scoring two of Canada’s eight tries in their 57-0 defeat of Ireland

DID YOU KNOW?

The respective head coaches both have winning records of 70% or higher. Kévin Rouet’s record over 25 Tests in charge of Canada stands at 72%, while Ireland have won 70% of their 10 matches since Scott Bemand took the coaching reins last year.

CANADA IN 2024

Played 4, Won 4, Drawn 0, Lost 0 (World Rugby Ranking: 2)

April 28, 2024: World Rugby Pacific Four Series – Won 50-7 v USA, Dignity Health Sports Park, Los Angeles
May 11, 2024: World Rugby Pacific Four Series – Won 33-14 v Australia, Allianz Stadium, Sydney
May 19, 2024: World Rugby Pacific Four Series – Won 22-19 v New Zealand, Apollo Projects Stadium, Christchurch
September 29, 2024: WXV1 – Won 46-24 v France, BC Place, Vancouver

CANADA TEAM NOTES

• Last weekend’s 46-24 win over France extended Canada’s winning run to five matches, dating back to the final round of the inaugural WXV1 competition in 2023
• Canada’s four victories this year have been won by an average winning margin of 22 points
• Canada have not been beaten by a team other than England since they lost 52-21 to New Zealand at TD Place Stadium in Ottawa during last year’s World Rugby Pacific Four Series
• Fancy Bermudez and Laetitia Royer bagged a brace of tries apiece against France in round one after Paige Farries had opened the scoring in the fourth minute, while Emily Tuttosi and Asia Hogan-Rochester added further tries in the final quarter
• Bermudez has now scored four tries in two Tests, having also bagged a double against New Zealand in the Pacific Four Series. She is Canada’s leading try scorer for the year. Royer and McKinley Hunt are one behind on three
• Alex Tessier kicked four conversions and a penalty in the France win and has a 67% goal-kicking success rate for the year (6/9)
• Tessier is the only player to have kicked points for Canada this season other than the injured Sophie de Goede
• Canada led France 24-14 at half-time and have generally been more susceptible to conceding first half points, with 66% coming before the break in 2024 (42/64)
• Canada avoided picking up a yellow card for the first time this year, having had a player sin-binned in each of their three previous Tests (Claire Gallagher v USA, Madison Grant v Australia, and Olivia Apps v New Zealand)
• Canada only had to make 75 tackles against the French, and were the only team in the opening round not to run into three figures
• Canada’s seven tries came from 13 visits into les Bleues’ 22
• Canada came into WXV1 as World Rugby Pacific Four Series champions for 2024
• After convincing triumphs over the USA and Australia, Canada secured the title with an historic 22-19 defeat of New Zealand
• It was Canada’s first victory over the Black Ferns in 18 attempts
• In a match full of historical significance, Tyson Beukeboom became Canada’s all-time most-capped Women’s player with her 68th Test appearance
• Beukeboom (33) is Canada’s captain at WXV1 2024, having never previously led the team in her 11-year Test career
• Canada’s 16 tries in the Pacific Four Series were scored by 10 different players, with McKinley Hunt the top try scorer with three
• Canada finished as runners-up to England in the inaugural WXV1 competition after two wins and a defeat
• Canada beat Wales 42-22 before losing to England 45-12. They finished the tournament with the 29-20 win over France
• Alex Tessier is the only player in their current squad to have played every minute of last year’s tournament. She ranked equal first for most kicks in play (28)
• Canada were slow starters at last year’s competition, scoring just one converted try in the opening quarter of their three matches
• World Rugby announced ahead of round one that Carolyn McEwen has joined the Canada coaching set-up as part of the Gallagher High Performance Academy linked to the WXV competition

IRELAND IN 2024

Played 7, Won 4, Drawn 0, Lost 3 (World Rugby Ranking: 6)

March 23, 2024: Guinness Women’s Six Nations – Lost 38-17 v France, Stade Marie-Marvingt, Le Mans
March 31, 2024: Guinness Women’s Six Nations – Lost 27-21 v Italy, RDS Arena, Dublin
April 13, 2024: Guinness Women’s Six Nations – Won 36-5 v Wales, Virgin Media Park, Cork
April 20, 2024: Guinness Women’s Six Nations – Lost 88-10 v England, Twickenham Stadium, London
April 27, 2024: Guinness Women’s Six Nations – Won 15-12 v Scotland, Kingspan Stadium, Belfast
September 14, 2024: IRFU 150th Year Match – Won 36-10 v Australia, Kingspan Stadium, Belfast
September 29, 2024: WXV1 – Won 29-27 v New Zealand, BC Place, Vancouver

IRELAND TEAM NOTES

• Ireland’s 29-27 win over New Zealand in their opening match last weekend was their third consecutive victory, combing on the back of wins over Scotland and Australia
• Ireland have not won four Tests in a row since 2017 when they beat Scotland, Italy, France, and Wales in the first four rounds of the Women’s Six Nations, only to lose the Grand Slam decider with England
• Aoife Wafer bagged her second brace in as many games, against the Black Ferns, before Neve Jones scored a third try on the stroke of half-time. A late Erin King double – and Dannah O’Brien’s second conversion of the match – earned a famous success for Ireland
• It was Ireland’s first victory over New Zealand since the pool stages of the 2014 Rugby World Cup in France, and means that they are the only national team with a winning record against the Black Ferns in Test rugby (P3, W2, L1)
• Ireland received their second yellow card of the year (after Béibhinn Parsons v Scotland) when Niamh O’Dowd was sent to the sin bin.
• Ireland also conceded the joint most penalties in round one of WXV1 with 13
• Ireland’s five tries came from just eight visits into the New Zealand 22, and they averaged 3.6 points per visit
• The match against New Zealand marked Ireland’s WXV1 debut, having qualified for the top tier of the competition by virtue of finishing third in the 2024 Guinness Women’s Six Nations
• Ireland won the WXV3 title last year so have stepped up two levels – another tangible sign of the progress made in the last year under head coach Scott Bemand
• Ireland recovered from going 10-0 down, in the decisive match against Spain at the inaugural WXV3, to secure a narrow 15-13 victory and the trophy
• Ireland scored 188 points and only conceded 16 points at WXV3, having begun their campaign – and Bemand’s coaching reign – with a record 109-0 win over Kazakhstan
• It was Ireland’s biggest ever score and try haul (17) in a Women’s or Men’s 15s Test match, and comfortably beat the team’s previous record victory of 73-3 against Scotland when they clinched the 2015 Women’s Six Nations title
• Their other victory on the way to the title was 64-3 against Colombia
• Ireland headed into WXV1 having made it three wins in four games by beating Australia 36-10 in the recent Belfast clash which kicked off Irish Rugby’s 150th Year celebrations
• Flanker Aoife Wafer capped a player-of-the-match performance with a couple of tries
• Aoife Dalton, the returning Eimear Considine, Eve Higgins, and Cliodhna Moloney also got on the scoresheet at the home of Ulster Rugby
• Ireland finished third in this year’s Women’s Six Nations having been at the bottom of the table in 2023, although one of their three defeats was a record 88-10 loss to England
• Ireland scored 65% of their points (65/99) and conceded 66% (95/170) of their points in the second half of matches during the Championship
• Two penalty tries were awarded in the Women’s Six Nations – both to Ireland
• Ireland had the best goal-kicking success rate with 87% of their kicks (13/15) going through the posts
• They made an average of 175.8 tackles per match but missed the most (136 over the course of the Championship)
• Ireland had the best discipline in conceding just 8.4 penalties per match and receiving one yellow card
• World Rugby coach intern Maz Reilly has joined the Ireland coaching set-up as part of the Gallagher High Performance Academy linked to the WXV competition

CANADA TEAM NEWS

• Captain Tyson Beukeboom will become the first Canadian woman to play 70 Tests this weekend
• By contrast, replacement prop Rori Wood will make her debut if called upon from the bench
• Head coach Kévin Rouet has made five changes to the team that beat France last Sunday, three of them in the pack
• The first change comes at tighthead with Alexandria Ellis replacing DaLeaka Menin in a front row that features Brittany Kassil and Emily Tuttosi
• Beukeboom will have Courtney Holtkamp alongside her in the second row from the outset, for the first time since WXV1 in 2023
• Pamphinette Buisa and number 8 Gabrielle Senft go again for Canada, but will have Caroline Crossley joining them at openside flanker
• Justine Pelletier and Claire Gallagher continue as the half-back pairing, with Alex Tessier and Shoshanah Seumanutafa outside them in midfield
• The remaining two changes come in the back-line, as only winger Fancy Bermudez keeps her place in the back-three from the France match. Two of her fellow Paris 2024 Olympic silver medallists join her
• Alysha Corrigan comes in on the left wing for her first Test start since July 2023 – and first out wide for two years – with Taylor Perry’s first Test for just over a year also her first start at full-back

IRELAND TEAM NEWS

• Erin King’s reward for her two-try haul off the bench against New Zealand is a first Test start in a rejigged Ireland back row
• King comes in on the blindside with Aoife Wafer – another two-try star for Ireland last weekend – shifting across to the blindside. Captain Edel McMahon was ruled out following an injury suffered in training this week
• In McMahon’s absence, centre Enya Breen will captain her country for the first time
• Hooker Clíodhna Moloney earns her first Test start since the November 2021 win over the USA, with props Niamh O’Dowd and Linda Doujgang retained. Doujgang will play her 40th Test
• Dorothy Wall and Fiona Tuite continue as the second row pairing, with Ulster’s Brittany Hogan at number 8, alongside King and Wafer in the back row
• Dannah O’Brien, who coolly landed the late match-winning conversion in round one, has a new half-back partner with Sevens regular Emily Lane earning her first Test start
• Stand-in skipper Breen will have Eve Higgins outside her in midfield, and the back-three of Amee Leigh Murphy Crowe, Eimear Considine, and Stacey Flood is unchanged
• Five of Ireland’s starting XV played at the recent Olympic Games in Paris – King, Lane, Higgins, Murphy Crowe, and Flood
• Two players come onto the bench having watched from the stands last weekend in forward Deirbhile Nic a Bháird and back Nicole Fowley, with the former, now fully recovered from an ACL injury, having last featured for Ireland in April 2023
• Prop Andrea Stock is poised to win her first Ireland cap having been an unused replacement against New Zealand

CANADA COACH NOTES

• Kévin Rouet was appointed as Canada head coach in March 2022, having previously held the role of assistant coach for four years
• Hailing from Bordeaux in France, Rouet led Canada to fourth place at the most recent Rugby World Cup in New Zealand, and has a 72% win rate in charge of Canada (P25, W18, L7)
• It is the best success rate of any Canada Women’s head coach with five matches or more in charge of the team
• His only Test defeats have come at the hands of teams above them in the World Rugby Women’s Rankings – England (four times), New Zealand (twice), and France

IRELAND COACH NOTES

• Former scrum half Scott Bemand joined the IRFU on a three-year contract in August 2023, and began by leading the team to success at the WXV3 tournament in Dubai
• He has a record of P10, W7, L3, with the defeats coming away to England and France, and at home to Italy, in the Women’s Six Nations
• During his eight years with England as lead coach, the Red Roses won six Women’s Six Nations titles (including five Grand Slams), were runners-up at two Rugby World Cups, and achieved the number one world ranking
• Bemand played professionally for Leicester Tigers, Harlequins, and Bath