Women's Rugby World Cup final: England v Canada – as it happened
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Version 0 of 1. 7.27pm BST19:27 It’s hugs, smiles and tears all round as England’s players and staff run off the bench in elation. The way they stifled the likes of Harvey and Russell in that half was masterful. Canada are united in defeat, huddled around each other. They will take a lot from their World Cup final debut and looked threatening in patches. Women’s rugby is the fastest growing game in the country and they will only be stronger at the next World Cup. “Maggie Alfonsi MOM” emais Paul Sullivan, and I’m not inclined to argue. It may well be the last time we see her in an England shirt, too. She was colossal, with Emily Scarratt another who really stood out. Thanks for reading – congratulations to England!!! Bye! Updated at 7.33pm BST 7.22pm BST19:22 Full-time: England 21-9 Canada England have won the World Cup. Their run of three World Cup final losses is over! 7.21pm BST19:21 79 min: Last chance saloon for Canada, they must score twice before the end, with time fast running out. Burk runs the ball wide but Scarratt (!) is there again to turn the ball over. The ball is recycled, and England kick clear through Mclean. 7.19pm BST19:19 77 min: Emily Scarratt made 13 carries against Ireland in the semi-final, the most by an England player. She has had a fantastic tournament. Canada are throwing everything at England, but you have to take your hat off to the way they have defended in this second half. England make a host of changes to keep things fresh. 7.17pm BST19:17 From the set-piece, England move the ball from right to left and Scarratt, coming in at a sharp angle, breaks straight through the defence. She has only Zussman to beat, but Scarratt hands her off expertly and avoids the covering challenges to score! Then picks herself off the turf and knocks over the conversion! England 21-9 Canada 7.14pm BST19:14 TRY! England 19-9 Canada (Scarratt 75) What a try! Is that the nail in Canada’s coffin? 7.13pm BST19:13 71 min: That’s a massive hit by Matthews for England on Zussman, nailing her shoulder into the full-back’s thigh. You can see Zussman wincing on the replay on that impact. England turn the ball over and kick for the line-out. 7.11pm BST19:11 69 min: Canada are keeping the ball in hand here, but England’s defence is stout, and whenever they turn the ball over, Scarratt is able to punt the ball back down field, with the wingers Wilson and Merchant hot in pursuit. 7.07pm BST19:07 65 min: England get their hands on the ball and Mclean punts from deep inside her 22 up the field. Expect to see more of that in the last quarter of this game. The ball swirls in the wind and Zussman drops it! Oh she should have taken that! It’s now England ball on the half-way line. Updated at 7.07pm BST 7.04pm BST19:04 61 min: In all that melee, I missed a substitution: Fleetwood making way for Croker at hooker. Alphonsi again makes a crunching hit on Clark as Canada edge into the England half. Alphonsi is somehow first to every ruck at the moment. And remember, she’s got a club foot! 7.01pm BST19:01 57 min: And straight from the kick-off, Canada undo all their hard work, conceding a penalty. Scarratt has no problem with that one at all, and England regain their five-point lead. England 14-9 Canada. Updated at 7.01pm BST 6.59pm BST18:59 56 min: That is a quite magnificent kick and Harvey is all smiling ear to ear. It looks like she’s surprised she made that one. Two points in it! England 11-9 Canada. 6.58pm BST18:58 55 min: Canada’s forwards are beginning to edge England out here. Another driving maul, another 20m made. England concede another penalty in stopping that maul illegally. It’s at the very edge of Harvey’s range here, I’m surprised she’s taking it on – 42m out. Updated at 7.10pm BST 6.55pm BST18:55 54 min: Couple of subs for England. McGilchrist is off for Essex in the second row and Hemming also comes off for Keates in the front row. 6.53pm BST18:53 51 min: This time Russell takes a quick one out of another scrum, but Alphonsi is lying in wait and brings the Canadian captain crashing to the ground. The ball squirts loose and England counter-attack on the left, and win a penalty with Canada offside. England kick down field for a line-out. 6.51pm BST18:51 49 min: That is a magnificent scrum from Canada, driving up the field, with Russell controlling the ball at the base of the scrum. It was the Canadian scrum that proved so important in the semi-final – winning against the head five metres from their own line that led to the incredible Magali Harvey try. Updated at 6.51pm BST 6.47pm BST18:47 47 min: Waterman has taken a knock on her face and is forced to go off as there is a bit of blood. Claire Allen comes on. 6.46pm BST18:46 46 mins: Magali Harvey has 58 points in the World Cup so far, over half of Canada’s total tally. She nearly intercepted a cross-field kick there, and again, if she had got to it, would have been in for a try. It’s risky stuff from England, but good to see the team showing such ambition. 6.44pm BST18:44 44 min: After a crunching hit from Paquin, Canada get another penalty. Is it too far out for a kick at goal? No Harvey is going for it, and from 35m, she slots it over! She is not renowned for her distance but struck that one true right through the middle of the posts. England 11-6 Canada. Updated at 6.45pm BST 6.42pm BST18:42 42 min: England win the scrum and set up another attack. They struggled against Canada’s pack in their 13-13 group stage draw but dominated in the first half here. It was also a key component of their 40-7 win over Ireland in the semi-final, and allowed the space for the backs. 6.40pm BST18:40 Peeep! Canada have 40 mins to turn this around and win the World Cup! 6.34pm BST18:34 England’s tempo was relentless in the opening half-hour there, remains to be seen if they can keep it up for the full 80. Maggie Alphonsi has put in some brutal hits, and showed great composure in England’s try. I did a Small Talk interview with Maggie last year. Give it a read, if you fancy. The England and Saracens flanker talked about nicknames, tackling Owen Farrell and serving rude McDonalds customers 6.29pm BST18:29 Half-time: England 11-3 Canada That penalty will do wonders for Canada’s morale going into half-time 6.29pm BST18:29 40 min: Harvey sends it sailing over for three points. England 11-3 Canada. Updated at 6.29pm BST 6.28pm BST18:28 38 min: And here they come! Marchak takes an outstanding line to leave Burford in her wake and this time, there is support! England, in truth, regroup well and a couple of handling errors mean that Canada’s attack falters slightly. England are caught offside, and Harvey will have her first kick at goal from 25m. 6.25pm BST18:25 36 min: Canada must regroup and try and get at least something on the board before half-time. Psychologically it would be a massive boost to get off 0. 6.24pm BST18:24 Mclean takes it up the middle and takes a big hit, but draws the defenders in. Hunt is there to collect the ball, and sees the space out to the right, and what happens next is just fantastic execution through the hands. It’s not complicated, England just creating two-on-ones, shifting it to their right as they take contact. Taylor sells Burk and Dummy, gives to Alphonsi who pops it right to Waterman who comes onto the ball at pace. Nobody is catching her, and she roars with delight as she puts it down. 6.20pm BST18:20 TRY! England 11-0 Canada (Waterman 31) Waterman sprints into the corner unchallenged! Updated at 6.35pm BST 6.18pm BST18:18 30 min: Scrum for Canada on the half-way line and Russell takes it down the blindside. These are some encouraging phases for Canada, they finally look to be getting a foothold in this game. England territorial style has largely strangled them so far. Dovanne comes in off her left wing but fumbles at the breakdown. 6.16pm BST18:16 26 min: I have to say, Maggie Alphonsi is everywhere. She has already put some bruising but fair hits on No10 Belchios, and on Canada’s 22, she puts in another. Alphonsi has made over 50 tackles in each of the last two games, her nickname of ‘Maggie the Machine’ is definitely justified. 6.13pm BST18:13 24 min: England 6-0 Canada. That’s simple but efficiently done from Scarratt. 6.12pm BST18:12 23 min: Packer emulates Hunt in breaking clean around the scrum but again, the support is not there. That’s fast becoming a trend, players breaking forward but not receiving help. Canada are able to swarm over England at the ruck, but play is brought back for an offside call against Canada. Three more points, and another simple conversion coming up. 6.08pm BST18:08 20 min: No try! Five metre scrum to England, which is wasted. Canada’s front row responded well there but the rest of their team looks on the ropes at the moment. Must weather this England storm. 6.07pm BST18:07 19 min: Hunt makes another quick break from a scrum, taking Canada’s defence completely unawares. She drives to within one metre of the try line but is halted just short! She looked certain to score but somehow Belchios managed to stick her arm underneath to deny Hunt. It’s gone to the TMO. 6.05pm BST18:05 16 min: In Waterman, England have searing pace and she bursts down the right wing, draws Dovanne and then offloads to Wilson who looks to be in for the try, but no! A fantastic tackle from Paquin. That’s two in the last three minutes! Updated at 6.10pm BST 6.01pm BST18:01 14 min: Risky rugby from England, trying to take a quick-line out, but in throwing it, was so nearly intercepted by Dovanne. If she had caught that cleanly, nobody was catching her. She would have run the length of the field and scored the opening try! 5.59pm BST17:59 13 min: Ooooo big hit on Wilson by Canada’s full-back Zussman. The ball was flung left to the England wing, and she picked the ball up at pace, but was bundled straight into touch. 5.58pm BST17:58 10 min: Becky Scarratt slots over for the opening points, that was an easy kick, but will do wonders for her nerves. She had a 78% conversion rate coming into this game. England 3-0 Canada 5.56pm BST17:56 8 min: England No9 Natasha Hunt dummies at the breakdown and slices through Canada’s midfield but the support is lacking and she is forced wide. Does well to recycle and England begin to creep into Canada’s 22. Canada concede a penalty, I think it was Murphy who was off her feet there. Updated at 5.56pm BST 5.52pm BST17:52 6 min: It’s the first driving maul from England, expect this to be a well-used tactic throughout the game. Good ground, but a knock-on means the attack comes to nothing. 5.51pm BST17:51 5 min: Big first win for England in the scrum. They’ve really set their marker down there, winning a penalty and able to nudge down field for a line-out. 5.50pm BST17:50 3 min: Clean win for Canada but they can’t make any ground into England’s 22 and England turn it over and are able to clear. 5.48pm BST17:48 2 min: England take the kick-off cleanly but Mclean returns a punt straight back down field, and Canada start with their opening phases. Harvey gets her first run at Kay Wilson on her right but the English player doesn’t release in time and Canada get the first penalty and opt to kick for the corner for a line-out. 5.46pm BST17:46 Peeep! The World Cup final is underway. Canada in their red to kick-off playing left to right. 5.45pm BST17:45 Amy Perrett from Australian is the referee. She only made her refereeing Test debut earlier this year, so it’s been a remarkable rise for her. 5.45pm BST17:45 The teams are out: there’s a few stern faces, and a few tears of pride as England sing their national anthem. Much more in tune than the men’s team, that. Canada’s team are positively beaming. They look like they’re absolutely delighted to be here. 5.37pm BST17:37 Some of the hits in the warm-up are frightening. Both teams are not holding back. If you want a first-person view of what it’s like to train with the England team … 5.34pm BST17:34 The teams are out warming up! #Canada's warm up is on right now at Stade Jean Bouin! #WRWC2014 #GoCanadaGo #REDNATION pic.twitter.com/ngxxIytU0A 5.31pm BST17:31 A key clash will undoubtedly be at No8. Canada’s captain, Kelly Russell is a very strong ball-carrier who leads from the front while Sarah Hunter has arguably been England’s player of the tournament: she was involved in 55 breakdowns against Ireland in the semi-final, one every 40 seconds the ball was in play Updated at 5.35pm BST 5.24pm BST17:24 The teams: England: 15. Danielle Waterman, 14. Katherine Merchant, 13. Emily Scarratt, 12. Rachael Burford, 11. Kay Wilson, 10. Katy Mclean (captain), 9. Natasha Hunt; 1. Rochelle Clark, 2. Vicky Fleetwood, 3. Sophie Hemming, 4. Tamara Taylor, 5. Jo McGilchrist, 6. Marlie Packer, 7. Maggie Alphonsi, 8. Sarah Hunter. Replacements: 16. Emma Croker, 17. Laura Keates, 18. Rebecca Essex, 19. Alexandra Matthews, 20. La Toya Mason, 21. Ceri Large, 22. Claire Allan. Canada: 15. Julianne Zussman, 14. Magali Harvey, 13. Mandy Marchak, 12. Andrea Burk, 11. Jessica Dovanne, 10. Emily Belchos, 9. Elissa Alarie; 1. Marie-Pier Pinault-Reid, 2. Kim Donaldson, 3. Hilary Leith, 4. Latoya Blackwood, 5. Maria Samson, 6. Jacey Murphy, 7. Karen Paquin, 8. Kelly Russell (captain). Replacements: 16. Laura Russell, 17. Olivia DeMerchant, 18. Mary-Jane Kirby, 19. Tyson Beukeboom, 20. Kayla Mack, 21. Julia Sugawara, 22. Brittany Waters. Updated at 5.40pm BST 5.15pm BST17:15 Don’t worry kids. Big Dave has piped up. No surprise that he’s tweeting a vid that also makes Ed Miliband look like a bit of a tit at the end. Good luck to @EnglandRugby Women in today's #WRWC2014 Final - you are doing your country proud: http://t.co/kBXV6sOhKh #CarryThemHome 5.11pm BST17:11 Preamble Some people point to Ireland’s shock 17-14 win over the All Blacks, others highlight the massive improvement of standards in the last few years. But what has captured the imagination of fans, especially those that were previously unfamiliar with the women’s game, is the dedication of these players and staff. For England’s and Canada’s players, this World Cup final marks the culmination of that dedication. Be it squeezing in a gym session in the early hours before going to the day job – be it as a PE assistant, police officer, or primary school teacher – or raising sponsorship so that their teams might have enough money for equipment, these players have worked tirelessly to reach this climax. It has been a tournamet of teams studded with talent rather than egos, and they remain the finest players on earth, but as a sport that is professional in all but name, they play purely for the love of the game, with no financial reward. Much has been made of England’s defeats in the last three World Cup finals, but as favourites for this evening’s match, there is a new pressure. For Canada, in their first ever World Cup final, it is a brand new experience and they showed they are not easily overawed in beating the hosts, France, in the semi-final in front of a home crowd. The teams are finely poised: England’s pragmatism v Canada’s exhilarating running game. The two have met four times in the last year: Canada winning twice, England once, and a 13-13 draw in this tournament’s group stage. Keep a special eye out for Canada’s wing and place kicker Magali Harvey. It’s going to be a cracker. Buckle up! Kick-off: 5.45pm BST Updated at 5.41pm BST |