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Canada took a one-sided 41-5 win over Japan in their first match of the World Cup in Whangarei. Emily Tuttosi led the way with a hat trick and Brianna Miller notched a double as the Japanese forwards simply had no answer for the strength of the Canadian pack.
The clock had barely ticked over one minute when Canada scored their first try. Alex Tessier’s kick ahead put Japan under pressure, and a charge-down from Sara Kaljuvee left the ball free for Paige Farries to dive for the easiest of finishes.
Japan would get an immediate reply, however. They moved deep into Canadian territory and smashed away at the line until Maki Takano squeezed in under the the defense to bring the scores level.
That would be the last time the scoreboard was influenced by Japan. Tuttosi peeled off a driving maul and bounced off three defenders to score her first, then Miller found space from a ruck to race clear from 25 meters out. Each would have their second before halftime, with the maul setting the platform for both.
The lineout was a consistent source of possession and go-forward for the Canadians, and Tuttosi would get her third early in the second half on the back of another maul. It was her final act of the game as replacements began to stream into the match.
Committed defense from Japan began to frustrate the Canadians as they lost their shape in the final quarter of the match. Mikiela Nelson crashed over to score a try, but others were left begging with several handling errors on the end of inaccurate passing.
The Canadians will face a much sterner test next weekend when they face Italy in Auckland. A win would guarantee their place in the Quarter Finals. Japan will take on a wounded USA side who need a big performance to keep their knockout hopes alive.
SCORING
JAPAN 5
Tries – M. Takano (5′)
Cons – A. Otsuka 0/1
CANADA 41
Tries – P. Farries (1′), E. Tuttosi 3 (14′, 29′, 49′), B. Miller 2 (23′, 35′), M. Nelson (66′)
Cons – B. Miller 1/3 (15′), S. de Goede 2/4 (50′, 67′)
TEAMS
JAPAN
1 Saki Minami (capt.) (18 Makoto Lavemai 48′), 2 Nijiho Nagata (17 Misaki Suzuki 69′), 3 Sachiko Kato (16 Hinata Komaki 65′), 4 Yuna Sato (19 Kie Tamai 51′), 5 Maki Takano (20 Otoka Yoshimura 59′), 6 Seina Saito, 7 Iroha Nagata, 8 Ayano Nagai (23 Kyoko Hosokawa 54′), 9 Megumi Abe (21 Moe Tsukui 67′), 10 Ayasa Otsuka, 11 Komachi Imakugi, 12 Shione Nakayama (22 Minori Yamamoto 57′), 13 Mana Furuta, 14 Hinano Nagura, 15 Rinka Matsuda
CANADA
1 Brittany Kassil (17 Mikiela Nelson 51′), 2 Emily Tuttosi (16 Gillian Boag 51′), 3 DaLeaka Menin (18 Alex Ellis 51′), 4 Courtney Holtkamp (20 Emma Taylor 67′), 5 Tyson Beukeboom (19 Ngalula Fuamba 54′), 6 Fabiola Forteza, 7 Karen Paquin (21 Gabrielle Senft 57′), 8 Sophie de Goede (capt.), 9 Brianna Miller (22 Justine Pelletier 52′), 10 Julia Schell (23 Anaïs Holly 74′), 11 Paige Farries, 12 Alex Tessier, 13 Sara Kaljuvee, 14 Maddy Grant, 15 Elissa Alarie
MATCH OFFICIALS
Referee: Joy Neville (Ireland)
Assistants: Amber McLachlan (Australia) & Doriane Domenjo (France)
TMO: Lee Jeffrey (New Zealand)
