Canada Ravens down U.S. Hawks, move a step closer to Women’s Rugby League World Cup

By The Canadian Press on November 9, 2024.

Canada Ravens forward Megan Pakulis is seen during the Ravens' 54-4 loss to England at the Rugby League World Cup, in Wigan, United Kingdom, in a Nov. 5, 2022, handout photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Touchlinepix, Stephen Gaunt, *MANDATORY CREDIT*

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Channy Crowl scored three tries Saturday to help the Canada Ravens move a step closer to the Women’s Rugby League World Cup with a 40-8 win over the U.S. Hawks in the final of the Americas Women’s Championship.

Canada, currently ranked eighth in the world, will represent the region in next year’s inaugural World Series against No. 10 Ireland (Europe), No. 18 Nigeria (Middle East Africa) and No. 26 Fiji (Asia Pacific), likely in October-November.

The World Series winner will complete the eight-team World Cup field in 2026 in Australia and Papua New Guinea, which already includes No. 1 Australia, No. 2 New Zealand, No. 3 England, No. 4 France, No. 5 Papua New Guinea, No. 7 Wales and No. 24 Samoa.

Rugby league is the lesser-known rugby code, played 13-a-side instead of rugby union’s 15-a-side. It’s a physical game with powerful forwards and elusive backs each offering their own kind of threat.

The U.S. went ahead early Saturday but soon found itself stymied by a determined Canadian defence and trailed 22-4 at the half.

Megan Pakulis added two tries for Canada with Caitlin Sears and Rachel Choboter contributing single tries. Sears, Dani Franada and Maddy Aberg combined for six conversions.

Crowl and Pakulis played in England’s Betfred Women’s Super League for St. Helens and York Valkyrie, respectively, this year.

Haley Sheldon scored two tries for the 16th-ranked U.S.

The Hawks progressed to the final at the University of North Florida with a 44-0 victory over No. 23 Jamaica on Wednesday. Canada was originally slated to face No. 12 Brazil in semifinal play but the South American side pulled out due to financial reasons.

As the top-ranked side, Canada was given a bye to the final in Brazil’s absence with the warm-up game against the U.S. Pioneers developmental squad Wednesday. Canada beat Brazil 22-16 when they met at the last World Cup in November 2022.

Jamaica defeated the U.S. Pioneers 48-12 earlier Saturday.

While Canada got some financial help from the International Rugby League for the Florida tournament, the players and staff have had to dig into their pockets to take care of the rest of the bill.

Australia-based Mike Castle, who has Canadian heritage through his father’s side, is in his second stint as Ravens coach. His day job is pathways project manager for Australia’s National Rugby League.

The Jacksonville final marked the first international for the Ravens since October 2023 when they beat the U.S. 30-4 and host Jamaica 64-2 to win the inaugural Americas Women’s Championship.

The Canada women made their debut at the six-team 2017 World Cup in Australia, scoring a first-ever win (22-8) over Papua New Guinea en route to the semifinals where they lost 58-6 to eventual champion Australia.

Canada failed to reach the knockout round at the last tournament, delayed until 2022 due to the pandemic, in England.

The 2025 World Cup was originally to be held in North America but the hosting rights were later revoked in a dispute with the promoter. The competition was then awarded to France, which later withdrew due to financial concerns.

It has since been delayed to 2026.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 9, 2024