Canada start WXV in style with big win over France

Canada started their WXV campaign in style with an emphatic 46-24 victory over France in Vancouver on Sunday. Two tries in a span of three minutes just before halftime put the Maple Leafs out in front and from there out Les Bleues were left chasing the game.

It didn’t take long for the Canadians to show they were a class outfit even without the absence of injured superstar Sophie de Goede. Shoshanah Seumanutafa burst through a gap and offloaded out of the final tackle to a waiting Paige Farries for the opening try just four minutes into the game.

A reply from the visitors came via Mélissandre Llorens on the end of an overlap. The two sides then exchanged tries in rapid succession. Alex Tessier’s inside ball on a set move from a scrum found an unmarked Fancy Bermudez slicing clean through the French midfield.

The French response came from a Canadian miscue. Lina Queyroi landed a deft 50-22 and the Maple Leafs were too slow to retreat. The flyhalf spotted the opportunity and took a quick throw-in to a wide-open Marine Ménager for an easy finish.

Canada’s forwards were beginning to get the upper hand and sustained pressure led to a try for Laetitia Royer, the second row reaching over the top of a ruck to score. It wasn’t long before the Maple Leafs knocking on the door again, and clean hands down the line put Bermudez in space. This time the winger shrugged off the challenge of Chloé Jacquet to take the ball in for a double.

Jacquet missed a shot at goal early in the second half but Les Bleues would soon conjure a try. Pauline Bourdon was rewarded for hard work as she looped around to exploit an opening in the Canadian defense. The try closed the gap to just five points, but again the home side had an answer. Royer grabbed a brace with a pick-and-go after Justine Pelletier had broken from the back of a wheeling scrum.

Just shy of the hour mark Ménager came off her wing looking for work and an offload freed Gabrielle Vernier. Though the defense was there in numbers, a quick recycle found Nassira Konde moving at speed down the left sideline and she had too much pace for the cover.

That would be the end of the scoring for the visitors. Emily Tuttosi bashed over from close range just as Madoussou Fall was binned for illegal entry at the preceding maul. The last say went to Asia Hogan-Rochester who stepped her way in for a try on debut just as the clock ticked over 80 minutes.

Next week’s matches will move to Langley in the southeast of the Vancouver metropolitan area. France will face the USA on Saturday afternoon, followed immediately by Canada’s match against Ireland.

 

SCORING

CANADA 46
Tries (7) – P. Farries (4′), F. Bermudez 2 (23′, 36′), L. Royer 2 (33′, 52′), E. Tuttosi (67′), A. Hogan-Rochester (80′)
Cons (4) – A. Tessier 4/7 (5′, 24′, 53′, 68′)
Pens (1) – A. Tessier 1/1 (73′)

FRANCE 24
Tries (4) – M. Llorens (9′), M. Ménager (26′), P. Bourdon (47′), N. Konde (59′)
Cons (2) – C. Jacquet 2/4 (10′, 27′)
Pens (0) – C. Jacquet 0/1
YC (1) – M. Fall (66′)

TEAMS

CANADA
1 Brittany Kassil (17 McKinley Hunt 55′), 2 Emily Tuttosi (16 Sara Cline 73′), 3 DaLeaka Menin (18 Alex Ellis 61′), 4 Tyson Beukeboom (capt.) (19 Courtney Holtkamp 55′), 5 Laetitia Royer, 6 Pamphinette Buisa (20 Caroline Crossley 66′), 7 Fabiola Forteza, 8 Gabrielle Senft, 9 Justine Pelletier (21 Olivia Apps 61′), 10 Claire Gallagher, 11 Paige Farries (22 Alysha Corrigan 75′), 12 Alex Tessier, 13 Shoshanah Seumanutafa, 14 Fancy Bermudez (23 Asia Hogan-Rochester 66′), 15 Julia Schell

FRANCE
1 Yllana Brosseau (17 Ambre Mwayembe 55′), 2 Agathe Sochat (16 Manon Bigot 68′-75′), 3 Assia Khalfaoui (18 Rose Bernadou 32′), 4 Manaé Feleu (co-capt.), 5 Madoussou Fall (19 Hina Ikehehegi 76′), 6 Axelle Berthoumieu (20 Teani Feleu 55′), 7 Émiline Gros (21 Séraphine Okemba 55′), 8 Romane Ménager, 9 Pauline Bourdon (22 Alexandra Chambon 73′), 10 Lina Queyroi, 11 Mélissandre Llorens, 12 Gabrielle Vernier (23 Lina Tuy 37′-HT), 13 Nassira Konde (23 Lina Tuy 71′), 14 Marine Ménager (co-capt.), 15 Chloé Jacquet

MATCH INFO

Date: Sunday, September 29
Venue: BC Place, Vancouver
Kickoff: 15:45 local (18:45 Eastern, Monday 00:45 Paris)
Weather: sunny, 55°F (13°C), wind W 8-12mph (13-19km/h)

OFFICIALS

Referee: Maggie Cogger-Orr (New Zealand)
Assistants: Aimee Barrett-Theron (South Africa) & Kat Roche (USA)
TMO: Leo Colgan (Ireland)

HIGHLIGHTS

FULL MATCH VIDEO