England recall Cokayne as unbeaten run faces Canada test in Toronto
Amy Cokayne is back in England's starting shirt for the first time in five months, with a 41-match unbeaten run on the line against Canada in Toronto on Friday.
The 94-cap hooker — the forward who throws into the lineout and packs down in the middle of the scrum — last played Test rugby in May. She came off the bench in Bordeaux and scored England's final try in the Grand Slam-sealing win over France, according to BBC Sport.
England have not lost since New Zealand beat them in the Rugby World Cup final in November 2022. Canada came closest to ending that sequence last month, fighting back for a 26-26 draw at Sandy Park in Exeter that stopped England's winning streak at just under four years.
That result still stings. Unbeaten is not the same as winning every week. Canada will feel they have the measure of the world No.1 side, and they have picked this tour as their moment.
Friday's Test is at BMO Field in Toronto, kicking off at 7:00 p.m. local time, with a second meeting to follow in Ottawa on 23 October. The two games are branded the Rugby Rematch Tour. More than 14,000 tickets are expected to be sold for Toronto, which would beat the previous standalone record for a women's match in North America of 11,453 for Canada against the United States.
It is also Canada's first home game in more than 14 months. Head coach Kevin Rouet has made beating England his team's main aim in 2026.
The history between the sides adds spice. England beat Canada 33-13 to win the Women's Rugby World Cup on 27 September 2025, in front of a record crowd of 81,885, according to Reuters. Canada, playing in only their second final, had named the same starting team for three games in a row.
Head coach John Mitchell has mixed experience with fresh legs for this return trip. Tatyana Heard starts at inside centre — the playmaking midfield role just outside the fly-half — ahead of Helena Rowland, who is on the bench. Abi Burton features in the back row, the loose forwards who do much of the carrying and tackling in open field.
Sadia Kabeya, who missed the win over New Zealand with a leg injury, returns among the replacements. Demelza Short, aged 20, covers second row on the bench, while three-cap Bryony Field backs up Cokayne at hooker. A cap is an international appearance.
England start with Kildunne, Breach, Jones, Heard, Moloney-MacDonald, Harrison, L. Packer, Botterman, Cokayne, Bern, Talling, Ives Campion, Burton, Matthews and Feaunati. The replacements are Field, Carson, Muir, Short, Kabeya, Hunt, Rowland and Sing. Megan Jones captains the tour squad, which contains 1,168 caps in total.
There is one notable absentee. Marlie Packer has stayed in England because her partner and Red Roses team-mate Rosie Galligan is due to give birth.
What makes this stand out is the shift in pressure. England are used to winning in front of big home crowds. Now they face a rested rival, a noisy away ground and an opponent with nothing to lose. For fans, this means a proper Test of nerve — and the clearest sign yet of how far Canada have closed the gap since the World Cup final.
