CARSON, California –
Captain Sophie de Goede scored 18 points, including two tries, and Canada defeated the United States 50-7 on Sunday in the opening match of the Pacific Four Series rugby tournament.
Claire Gallagher scored two tries, while Tyson Beukeboom, Laetitia Royer, Maddie Grant and Julia Omokhuale added singles for Canada, which led 17-7 at halftime. De Goede made four conversions and Alex Tessier made one.
Beukeboom, a confident 33-year-old forward from Uxbridge, Ont., earned her 66th cap, passing one of Canada’s all-time women’s leaders, the retired Gillian Florence.
Georgie Perris-Redding scored the only try for the United States. Gabby Cantorna started a conversion.
The fourth-ranked Canadians have won nine straight over the ninth-ranked Americans since a 20-18 loss in the Women’s Rugby Super Series in San Diego in July 2019. Canada improved to 27-19 all-time against the Americans .
“We had to endure the first half and then pick up the pace in the second,” said de Goede. “I’m very proud of the way we did it.”
“We have to start games the way we finish them,” added the 24-year-old from Victoria, who plays for England club rugby at Saracens.
Sunday’s match was the first match of a doubleheader at Dignity Health Sport Park, with RFC Los Angeles hosting the defending Major League Rugby champion New England Free Jacks in the cup.
Canada now flies to Australia to face No. 5 Australia on May 11 in Sydney before heading to Christchurch to face No. 2 New Zealand on May 19.
The top three finishers from the Pacific Four Series qualify for the first division of the three-tier WXV tournament, which also features the top three from the Women’s Six Nations in No. 1 England, No. 3 France and No. 10 Ireland. The Pacific Four’s bottom team sits in the second tier of WXV.
There’s an added incentive for Canadians this year as Vancouver will host WXV 1 from September 27 to October 13 with “select games” taking place at BC Place Stadium.
Sunday’s exit was the first for the Canadians since November, when they finished runners-up to No. 1 England in WXV 1.
Canada’s women finished second behind New Zealand in last year’s Pacific Four, defeating the USA 50-17 in Madrid before returning to Ottawa, where they defeated Australia 45-7 and lost 52-21 against New Zealand against a Canadian woman. Record crowd of 10,092 at TD Place.
The Americans lost all three games to finish last in the 2023 Pacific Four Series.
But they came into Sunday’s game off a 38-17 victory over No. 12 South Africa in a March 30 warm-up game in London that marked Sione Fukofuka’s debut as U.S. coach. Fukofuka was previously an assistant coach with Australia.
Tessier, playing center, was influential in kicking territory throughout the game as the Canadian defense kept the Americans at bay.
Canada went ahead 5-0 in the fifth minute with Gallagher outscoring in the final phase of an attack that was launched with a rolling maul from a lineout. The Canadians did it again, with Beukeboom scoring with a quick maul four minutes later.
Perris-Redding cut the lead to 10-7 with a converted try in the 18th minute, which collapsed after the United States hit the Canadian try line.
Royer increased Canada’s lead minutes later, breaking three tackles en route to the try line. And Grant scored Canada’s fourth try minutes into the second half to make the score 24-7.
De Goede broke through the American defense in the 48th and 55th minutes to increase the lead. Gallagher added his second in the 70th after receiving a pass from Fancy Bermúdez in the inning.
American Bulou Mataitoga was sent to the sin-bin on the play for a professional foul. Gallagher followed in the 76th minute, paying the price in a series of Canadian penalties.
Omokhuale added a try in the 79th minute for Canada.
Sevens captain Olivia Apps was a late change for Canada at scrum-half, replacing Justine Pelletier, who did not dress. Mahalia Robinson replaced Apps on the bench and saw action late in the game.
The Canadian matchday 23 featured 16 players who are with foreign clubs: 10 from England, four from France and one from Australia and one from New Zealand. The American team had 15 foreign players.
Canada coach Kevin Rouet had a camp in Barcelona for the European players before a four-day session in Langford, BC, with the full squad before leaving for California.
Rouet, who took over as head coach in March 2022 after serving as an assistant, is 15-7-0 under Canada with all losses coming against higher-ranked teams in England (four times), New Zeeland (twice) and France.