Canadian women earn historic 19-10 rugby victory over New Zealand

The Bowl semi-finals will see Spain play Japan and Ireland face Russian Federation.

New Zealand were fifth on the points table heading into this tournament and and their latest effort won’t help that.

Head coach Tim Walsh praised his team’s nous and skill in dealing with the slippery ground and inclement weather.

“We started a bit slow this morning (against Fiji) and played one of our worst games but when it counted we really stood up”.

“We worked hard on our strategy in terms of the conditions but you never know what you’re going to get”.

Fiji fared better than Australia’s semi-final opponents the United States, comfortably brushed aside 28-0.

“[Australia] are a class act and a good team, but there were too many errors on our part and they took full advantage”, she said. “They try and better themselves constantly and it has made us the outfit we are today”. “Again, we were reminded of the fantastic standard of competition on display in the Women’s Series, and how much the teams have benefitted from inclusion in the summer Games”.

This second-place finish moves the Canadian women far closer to where they want to be ahead of the Olympic debut of rugby sevens in Rio.

Veteran Nicole Beck clinched another, slipping through a gap before winger Ellia Green used her strength to beat three defenders and seal the win for her side.

The Canadian women were beaten 29-0 in heavy rain in Sunday’s final as Australia won its second straight Cup final this season.

New Zealand were facing a bronze medal match in Sao Paulo against the United States. It was the first time the Canadians were held scoreless all weekend. We’ve been found wanting in the last two tournaments when it comes to the physical side of teams running at us.

Australia leads the World Championship Series standings with 40 points after the Dubai and Sao Paulo events. The victory was Canada’s first ever against New Zealand, the three-time defending series champions.

Hosts Brazil, roared on by the home support, managed to advance to the quarter-final, where they faced the mighty New Zealand and suffered a 41-0 loss. The Canadians had dropped seven of the previous eight matches, the other ending in a tie.

“It was really important to get back into the top tier”.