Red Roses ready to reignite Canada rivalry after World Cup win
England face Canada at Sandy Park on Saturday in their first meeting since the Red Roses beat Canada in the 2025 Women's Rugby World Cup final. Kick-off in Exeter on 19 September is at 15:00. The game is part of the 2026 WXV Global Series, the international competition that brings the world's best women's sides together between World Cups England Rugby.
The timing adds bite. Saturday falls just one week short of the one-year anniversary of that Twickenham final. It was played in front of a record-breaking crowd of 81,885 supporters, with England arriving unbeaten since losing the previous World Cup final in 2022, while Canada had knocked out defending champions New Zealand in the semi-final The Guardian.
Canada struck first that day. Winger Asia Hogan-Rochester scored the opening try, which in rugby union means grounding the ball over the tryline for five points. Ellie Kildunne hit back with England's first try, and flanker Sadia Kabeya, the hard-tackling forward who does much of the unseen work at the breakdown, was named player of the final.
England are not dwelling on it. The camp mantra ahead of Saturday, written on a whiteboard, is "Train like you have never won, play like you don't know how to lose." Head coach John Mitchell has picked a side to set the tone for a new season, not to replay old highlights.
History favours the hosts. England hold a 14-game winning streak over Canada. That run includes a 50-24 win at Exeter in September 2023, when Helena Rowland and Kildunne both scored twice in a free-running display The Guardian. Sandy Park, home of Exeter Chiefs, has become a familiar stage for the Red Roses, England women's national team.
Canada have come to spoil the party. Ranked third in the world, they have billed their September fixtures in Europe as The Rugby Rematch Tour and brought a 36-player squad for the trip Rugby Canada. After Exeter they travel to face France in La Rochelle on 26 September. England, as reigning world champions, are the scalp every rival wants.
For fans, this means a proper Test match with edge, not an exhibition. Expect pace out wide, big collisions in midfield and a fierce contest at the scrum and lineout, the set-pieces where union teams fight for the ball. Supporters in Canada can watch live on TSN5 and the TSN app from 10:00 a.m. ET Rugby Canada. In Exeter, tickets were on sale from £16.50, and a loud afternoon is guaranteed.
