England A win Canada series 2-0

The Maple Leafs got three first half tries from Katie Svoboda, Mackenzie Higgs and Frederique Rajotte but were unable to add anything in the second half. Irene Patrinos kicked two conversions.“It was a better performance than the last game,” Ratier said. “This kind of competition has been great for our players as they can see the difference in quality between university and the international level.“Overall, this has been a very positive tour. Obviously we would have preferred to have come back with two wins but we’re playing in England against the English. Our goal was to improve our contact skills and to give experience to our young players and at the end we’ve done that.”Canada held a 19-10 lead at the break but two second half tries from Abbie Scott, the first of which came with Tyson Beukeboom in the sin bin, gave England their second straight win in the two-game series.“Now when the girls get back to Canada they can work on their skills, decision making, strength and conditioning every day, just like the English do and that was the difference between the two teams,” Ratier said. “But we’ve proven we can match with the best academies in the world and we’re not that far from beating them.”The Maple Leafs struck first as Svoboda grabbed her first try of the tour as she was the beneficiary of a line break by scrum-half Lori Josephson 16 minutes in. Patrinos continued her fine form with the boot as she nailed the conversion for a 7-0 lead after 16 minutes.After England replied in the 23rd minute, Canada immediately hit back as Mackenzie Higgs touched down after Canada had forced a turnover thanks to a big Kristy Sargent tackle. Patrinos couldn’t convert and in the 32nd minute, England had a second try leaving Canada ahead 12-10.However, Canada took a 19-10 lead into the break as Rajotte grabbed her first try of the tour as she went over in the corner after Josephson took a quick tap penalty that had been setup by a powerful line break by captain Cindy Nelles who missed the second half due to a knee injury.“We lost Cindy at half and then obviously a yellow card to Tyson so two key players were out of the game but the younger players responded really well and put up a good fight against the English,” Ratier said.

England National Academy

Kelly  Smith; Deborah Fleming, Lucy Demaine, Lauren Cattell, Charlotte  Clapp, Natasha Jones; Bianca Blackburn; Heather Kerr, Lark Davies, Bianca Dawson, Alexandra Powell, Courtney Gill, Poppy Cleall, Poppy Leitch, Abbie Scott

Replacements

Clara Nielson, Katie Trevarthen, Roz Jermine , Zoe Aldcroft, Joanna Brown, Leanne Riley, Rachel Lund, Georgia Gray, Holly Myers

Canada’s Maple Leafs:1. Simone Savary (Ottawa Gees Gees), Brampton, ON2. Kristy Sargent (Lep Tigers) Edmonton, AB3. Chelsey Minter (Velox Valkyries) Sydney, NS4. Janai Haupapa Calgary, AB5. Tyson Beukeboom (Aurora Barbarians) Uxbridge, ON6. Fabiola Forteza (Club de Rugby de Quebec) Quebec, QC7. Katie Svoboda (Belleville Bulldogs) Belleville, ON8. Cindy Nelles, captain (Belleville Bulldogs) Belleville, ON9. Lori Josephson (Aurora Barbarians) Beaverton, ON10. Mackenzie Higgs (Aurora Barbarians) Aurora, ON11. Emmanuela Jada (Guelph Redcoats) Guelph, ON12. Alex Tessier (Montreal Barbarians) Sainte-Clotilde-de-Horton, QC13. Amanda Williams (Calgary Hornets) Souris, MB14. Frédérique Rajotte (Sainte Anne de Bellevue RFC) Sainte Anne de Bellevue, QC15. Irene Patrinos (Hull Volant), Mississauga, ON16. Brittany Priddle, Badjeros, ON17. Demi Stamatakis (SFU) Vancouver, BC18. DaLeaka Menin (Hornets) Vulcan, AB19. Camille Provençal-Aube (Abénakis et CRQ), Sherbrooke, QC20. Gabrielle Senft (UVic) Regina, SK21. Chelsea Guthrie (Stratchona Druids) Edmonton, AB22. Jess Neilson (UVic) Vancouver, BC23. Natasha Smith (Barrhaven Scottish) Ottawa, ON