England, Canada and Scotland reach Women’s Rugby World Cup quarterfinals

By Canadian Press on August 30, 2025.

England, Canada and Scotland advanced to the Women’s Rugby World Cup quarterfinals on Saturday, Scotland for the first time since 1998.

Title favorite England tore apart Samoa 92-3 in Northampton for its biggest World Cup win to go two for two in the pool stage.

Canada, eyeing the title, overwhelmed Wales 42-0 while Scotland defeated Fiji 29-15 in a gripping second contest in the Manchester doubleheader.

The Canadians and Scots will meet next weekend to decide the Pool B winner. Wales and Fiji will meet looking to leave England with a win.

England 92 Samoa 3

The result eclipsed England’s previous biggest World Cup win, 84-19 against Fiji in 2022.

The scoreline was no surprise. England won a 29th straight test. None of the Samoans have played 29 tests.

A week after their previous heaviest World Cup loss by 73-0 to Australia, the Samoans felt far from embarrassed at Franklin’s Gardens. They celebrated their first points of the tournament, the penalty kick by flyhalf Harmony Vatau, a warehouse assistant, after a scrum tighthead.

After the match, the Manusina danced with the Red Roses and went on a lap of honor.

England made 13 changes after beating the United States 69-7 in the opening game and lost nothing in flow or strength or ambition.

The Red Roses scored 14 tries, bringing up the bonus-point fourth in the 16th minute, and flyhalf Helena Rowland converted 11, including for her own try from the sideline.

There was a hat trick for wing Jess Breach, who reached 52 test tries, the fifth England woman to the milestone and third in the squad after Emily Scarratt and Marlie Packer. Stand-in captain Packer also dotted down for her 52nd.

Samoa started giving England a match only when replacement prop Tori Iosefo, a primary school teacher, stiffened their scrum. But after she limped off in the 69th, England scored three tries, including the last by wing Claudia Moloney-MacDonald, who a year ago was just returning from a second neck injury.

Canada 42, Wales 0

The Canada front five was exceptional. They lost only two set-pieces — both lineout overthrows — and sent every Wales scrum in reverse. They also powered around Salford Community Stadium, a big reason Canada could reel off long phase plays and a 15-meter rolling maul try.

Prop McKinley Hunt scored two tries, her replacement Brittany Kassil one, and lock Sophie de Goede was the player of the match for 20 carries, 10 tackles and six-for six off the tee.

Wales responded to being embarrassed by Scotland last weekend with a heartening start, spending the first 10 minutes around the Canada 22. But pride couldn’t overcome power.

In the first half, Canada made six visits to the Wales 22 and netted four grand tries in 15 minutes.

Hunt pounded two in, right wing Alysha Corrigan capped 12 phases, then left wing Asia Hogan-Rochester scored a great 70-meter try fending one tackler and hurdling another.

The second half became untidier as the benches were cleared and both sides were yellow-carded.

Canada No. 8 Gabrielle Senft had a 16-phase try ruled out because of a knock-on, but a review sent Wales counterpart Georgia Evans to the sin-bin for a head-high tackle.

With Evans gone, Wales conceded tries to flyhalf Taylor Perry after 11 phases and Kassil after the driving maul from 15 out.

Canada went to 14 women when prop Olivia DeMerchant was yellow-carded for a head-high tackle but Wales wasn’t good enough to break the defense.

Canada earned an eighth straight win against Wales since 2007 and nilled the Welsh for the third time in that run.

Scotland 29, Fiji 15

Scotland deserved the win in the rain but was pushed the entire way by Fiji, which will wonder how closer the result might have been if it had kept 15 players on the field.

Fiji played more than 30 minutes with 14 women after a red and two yellow cards. And, yet, every time the Fijians looked down and out they got back up and hit back.

Scotland made another great start. Left wing Francesca McGhie, who scored after 54 seconds against Wales, scored after 95 seconds.

Center Emma Orr hacked the ball for McGhie to chase, and finished the first half by stealing Fiji ruck ball for the other wing, Rhona Lloyd, to score her second try and a 17-5 halftime lead.

Fiji had a bad start; 18-year-old wing Michella’e Stolz left injured and prop Vika Matarugu was yellow-carded for a head-high tackle. But prop Loraina Senivutu scored after a big run by flanker Nunia Daunimoala.

Fiji started the second half much better. Adi Salote Nailolo, Alowesi Nakoci and Daunimoala tore apart Scotland and, though hooker Bitila Tawake was held up, No. 8 Manuqalo Komaitai scored.

But Nailolo was too casual with the conversion attempt in front of the posts and was charged down by McGhie.

McGhie’s second try gave Scotland a four-try bonus point and, in a double blow for Fiji, Tawake’s tackle on counterpart Elis Martin was deemed too high. Her yellow card was upgraded to a 20-minute red.

Scotland standout Orr then put Scotland out of sight at 29-10 by beating three forwards en route to the try-line, but Scotland spent the last quarter trying to stem Fiji attacks.

Nakoci had a try ruled out for a knock-on and Kelerayani Luvu was denied a try by McGhie. Prop Karalaini Naisewa barged over and Nailolo finished in the sin-bin for a deliberate knock-on, missing her teammates’ 70-meter breakout with the clock in red.

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AP rugby: https://apnews.com/hub/rugby

Foster Niumata, The Associated Press