Canada reach a test century

Twenty-six years since that first game a great deal has changed. The United States then were probably the strongest team in the world. Competitive women’s rugby in the USA was already over 15 years old and was more widely played than anywhere else the world. There were already over 6000 players and 250 clubs.  An American select team had just returned in triumph from an unbeaten tour of the UK and France where they had won every game by over 40 points.

The teams that day were official selections of their two unions, but the women’s game was still far from being accepted. US team were not allowed to be called “Eagles”, and after the game a celebratory banquet came to an early and unexpected conclusion when players from the two women’s teams walked out following a speech by Fred Paoli, the captain of the US men’s team, where he had condemned their participation in “our great game”.

Canada were some way behind their neighbours at that time. They lost that first test match 22-3, as well as the following two tests in 1988 and 1989. However, the Canadians were – like the USA – still more than a match for the best Europe could offer. They were unlucky to draw New Zealand in the 1991 World Cup, losing their crucial pool game 24-8, but were otherwise unbeaten throughout the tournament, returning home with the Plate title while the USA famously lifted the Cup.

It was 1993 before the best European teams finally caught up, England beating Canada in that year's Canada Cup tournament by 12-8. Canada finished third in that tournament, beating Wales but losing 60-3 to the United States – still their largest ever defeat in a CanAm game.

It was the start of a difficult period for Canadian women’s rugby, with the rest of the world advancing quickly while Canada, at best, stood still. The 1994 World Cup saw them slip to sixth with wins only over Kazakhstan and Japan. Between then and the 1998 World Cup they played only four tests, losing them all.

However, despite this the 1998 World Cup was a turning point. Although they lost heavily to England in their pool, Canada went on to finish fourth and the following year – at their 10thattempt – they beat the United States for the first time.  Canada were no longer the junior partner on their continent, and at the 2002 World Cup they maintained their fourth place – this time finishing ahead of the USA for the first time.

Canada’s 50thtest was in 2005, losing to New Zealand 32-5 in the final of the last Canada Cup – a tough game for any team as the Black Ferns were in the middle of their record-breaking run of test victories. The following year saw them host the World Cup themselves – the only time the tournament has ever been held outside Europe. They made the semi-finals, where they were desperately unlucky to lose to England 10-6 before again finishing fourth behind France.

With the United States finishing fifth, Canada were now indisputably number one in North America. From 2006-2009 they were unbeaten in all tests, other than one defeat to England. It was a run that came to an end at that year’s Nations Cup, where the USA won a CanAm for the first time in over three years, though it was not enough to stop Canada reaching the final.

Canada went on to draw a series in France later that year, before beating the USA in three tests out of four as they prepared for the 2010 World Cup. Impressive wins over Scotland and Sweden were followed by a disappointing defeat to France, but even so Canada looked certain to make the semi-finals as Australia needed to beat a useful looking young South African team by an unlikely-seeming 55 points to take the fourth seed spot.

Unfortunately, as everyone will remember, with a remarkable performance Australia took a little 62 minutes to reach their target. As a result Canada were left playing for 5thplace, where they came up against the USA and lost an incredibly tight game by 23-20 to finish sixth. Despite their pre-tournament form, it equaled Canada’s worst World Cup placing.

Despite that result, Canada have continued to perform well, in both 15s and the 7s, culminating in Nations Cup double in 2013 where they lifted both the U20 and adult versions of the tournament, including their first ever wins over England.

Now a new World Cup looms on the horizon, with Canada in a tough group alongside England, Spain and Samoa. But for now, their target will be to round-off their win in one of the oldest and closest series in women’s rugby history. And this weekend they will make a small part of that history, as the ninth team to pass 100 tests – and the first from outside Europe.