The Red Roses have been beaten.

After 42 matches, three-and-a-half years and a famous Rugby World Cup win, England’s incredible run has been ended by Canada.

It was pure delight for those in red at BMO Field in Toronto as they avenged last year’s World Cup final defeat and how fitting that they did it in front of a record crowd for a standalone women’s rugby match in North America of 18,600.

Canada’s players had talked up their chances of ending England’s run leading up to this match. After all, they had already brought their 39-match winning streak to a halt with a 26-26 draw in Exeter in the first block of WXV Global Series games last month.

This time they went one better, not only matching England’s physicality but continually stretching their opponent’s defence with their ability to spread the ball wide quickly. That is what helped to deliver the decisive blow in this cracking contest as the ball was whipped from one side of the pitch to the other in the 78th minute and Shoshanah Seumanutafa was able to run in the winning try.

For Canada it was pure joy, for England something of a shock. Some of these Red Roses players have never lost a Test match before such has been their dominance on the world stage and this one could have gone either way, with the difference a single play in the closing minutes.

With the Women’s Six Nations much maligned for the one-sided nature of matches, how brilliant that England and Canada are continually delivering such nip-and-tuck contests. They meet again in Ottawa on Friday and it is sure to be another enthralling match.

Canada are one of the few teams in the world who can match the Red Roses’ physicality and so it proved in Toronto. The tackles were ferocious, the breakdown contests fierce.

Admittedly they could not live with England at the scrum but they still managed to prevail. Canada, with Olivia Apps a ball-of-energy playmaker at nine, stretched England with their speed of ball and the visitors were often caught out for defending too narrowly, forced to resort to desperate tackles. And despite their dominance at the scrum, which was the foundation of much of their best try-scoring opportunities, England could not get their back-line attack into gear.

Claudia Moloney-MacDonald looked to have quietened the crowd in the sixth minute when she picked a pass off her toes and crossed the line, only for replays to show that she had lost control of the ball over the line.

After that it was all Canada in the opening exchanges. Only interventions from Lilli Ives Campion (brilliantly latching onto the ball at a maul to earn a turnover), Abi Burton (winning a holding-on penalty) and Zoe Harrison (making a try-saving tackle on Alysha Corrigan in the 22) prevented the hosts from taking the lead in the first dozen minutes.

They gave away a fair few penalties in that period, though, and Harrison paid the price when sent to the sin-bin for a side entry infringement. Canada quickly capitalised on that advantage by creating an overlap on the left and Savannah Bauder slid over for the opening score in the 16th minute.

The world champions did manage to hold them out for the rest of that yellow-card period and finally got on the scoreboard around the half-hour mark. They really turned the screw at the scrum, winning several penalties, and Maddie Feauati surged over from close range. She had tried to do similar a couple of minutes earlier but a reset was called after she ran into referee Aurélie Groizeleau.

Harrison was quick to double the Red Roses’ tally after a break down the right wing from Jess Breach. She followed up a couple of powerful forward carries with a dummy on the line to cross near the posts and ensure England led 14-5 at the break.

Canada were quick to hit back, though, as Corrigan exploited the space behind England’s defensive line with a deft kick ahead on her wing, regathered the ball and glided over. Sarah Bern went for a more direct route from two metres out to put England back in control shortly afterwards.

England made life harder for themselves by missing touch with a couple of penalties and allowing Canada to attack from their own half, which led to DaLeaka Menin scoring their third try and cutting the deficit to just two points going into the final quarter.

Both sides failed to capitalise on a number of opportunities in the closing stages, poor kicks and penalties stopping their momentum. That was until Seumanutafa received the ball on the left wing in the final minutes.

Not it is onto Ottawa for act three of what is fast becoming one of rugby’s most absorbing rivalries.

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