Canada, who previously snapped England's 39-match winning run with a 26-26 draw in Exeter in September, are the first team to defeat the Red Roses since November 2022, when they lost to New Zealand in the World Cup final.

Playing in front of 18,621 fans, a record for a standalone women's fixture in North America, the result also marks England's first defeat by Canada since 2016 and their first against their hosts on Canadian soil, having won their previous 11 away matches.

Canada's Savannah Bauder took advantage of Zoe Harrison's yellow card to open the scoring in the 15th minute, but it was England who took a 14-5 half-time lead, hitting back late in the first half through Maddie Feaunati and Harrison, with Laetitia Royer in the sin-bin for the hosts.

Sarah Bern cancelled out a stylish solo try from the hosts' Alysha Corrigan early in the second half to preserve England's nine-point lead before Canada's DaLeaka Menin crashed over for a converted score just after the hour mark to set up a tense finale.

Three minutes from time, Canada mounted an attack from halfway after a fumble put Harrison's clearing kick under pressure, and replacement Seumanutafa charged down the left wing to complete the comeback.

The two sides will renew their rivalry in Ottawa on Friday, 23 October (in the early hours of Saturday on UK time) before England conclude their 2026 WXV Global Series against the USA in New Jersey on Friday, 30 October (21:15 GMT).

Line-ups

Replacements: Field, Carson, Muir, Short, Kabeya, Hunt, Rowland, Sing.

Replacements: Tuttosi, Kassil, Rempel, Forteza, Buisa, Senft, Pelletier, Seumanutafa.