England’s glittering unbeaten era is over. Canada defeated the Red Roses to deal them a first defeat in four years after 40 wins and one draw. It was a landmark result for the Canadians, who will look to replicate the outcome this weekend when the two nations meet again. England must reset but they won’t panic; the Red Roses have been the standard bearers for the past seven years, which is why they have lost only twice in 73 matches. But while no team would ever aim to lose, falling to defeat is a good thing for England and the wider sport.

Losing could actually make England a deadlier team to face. That is because they now need to find another level to their game with teams beginning to figure out ways to beat them. They have been pushed over the past few years by teams such as Canada, New Zealand and France, but they always had just enough to get the result over the line. Now they have been presented with a new challenge and John Mitchell, who lost his first game as Red Roses head coach, said post-defeat when his side “gets a setback, it generally learns quicker”.

It is not just tactically and physically that the Red Roses may grow, but the mentality of the group may also shift. A defeat was inevitable at some stage, with everyone watching and waiting for the game in which it would come. Mitchell said his players may feel “freer” now that the unbeaten run is over.

“The important thing is winning after winning is harder than before,” he said. “I guess what it does to everyone is it frees us up, which is cool. It allows us all to find more. I know this group has definitely got more in it but sometimes it requires the context that we have just received to dig deeper and push for something more.”

Losing an international rugby game is a new experience for some of the players in the squad. Abi Burton and Maddie Feaunati are among those who have never tasted defeat for England. Jess Breach’s record is an incredible 59 wins and one loss. The defeat may make those players more versatile and adaptable, too.

The England captain, Meg Jones, said of the initial reaction from the squad: “For us the biggest thing is that we stick together. Games are built on moments, it is not one individual moment, it is multiple. That is the beauty of it and we get to review it, we get to go again next weekend, we get to stick together.

“I think it is good for us to reassess this and see where we are at. I think togetherness is the main message to come out of that because it’s how you respond when you have had a loss, I think that is the biggest test of character.

“They are lessons at the end of the day, I don’t think a loss necessarily changes the way we approach things. You genuinely do learn from it. I spoke to Burts [Abi Burton] and we said: ‘How many games have we lost in our career?’ And we had a little chuckle, those are the ones that shape you the most at times. It’s the biggest lesson for sure. Teams are coming out to beat us, they are going to put their best foot forward. We need to make sure we have got our best foot forward as well.”

The fact that England ended their unbeaten run away from home is also significant. Had the Red Roses lost one of their home games, which they almost did against the same opposition with that draw in Exeter, it would still have been a good thing for the team but the benefits would have been less impactful.

It is rare for the Red Roses to play non-Six Nations teams away from home and the revamped WXV gives them more of those experiences, perfect preparation for the 2029 World Cup in Australia. England won’t have the cushion of home support and stadiums they are used to playing in when they attempt to defend their title in three years’ time, which is the ultimate goal of this cycle.

If England get into a potentially similar situation in 2029 they won’t be in unfamiliar territory. They have now been away from home, in front of a hostile crowd and lost for the first time since the 2022 World Cup final. In three years they may be able to weather the storm better and have more contingency plans.

Mitchell had said before WXV began that the away part of these series of matches would be an “audition for 2029”. After the defeat against Canada, he was asked if this outcome and experience is what the team needed. “Definitely [it is],” he said. “I think even before that message we said: ‘Come and get us.’ We have been asking for someone to come and get us and they have done that. Not that we designed that to happen, far from it. We have to respond.”

For the sport more generally, this defeat may attract more fans or encourage those already watching to stick around and attend more matches. Rugby needs jeopardy and the thrill of a game comes when fans do not know who will be the winner on matchday. Of course this one loss won’t mean England’s dominance will disappear but when they play other top-five nations there will be more doubt over whether they will be the ones to come out on top.

England’s unbeaten ticker may now stand at zero but no one will forget the run of 41 games. The Red Roses are written into history and their world record may never be beaten. They have forced other teams to raise their game and made many take notice of women’s rugby with millions now following. England are entering a new era and they have a chance for immediate revenge this weekend as they play Canada once again. They will see it as an opportunity to start a new unbeaten run.

France crumble to Black Ferns

New Zealand would have been the favourites to beat France but the manner in which they did so shocked many. The Black Ferns crushed the French 81-12 and; the result is even more brutal for the visitors considering they had defeated Canada a few weeks ago, their first win over a top-three ranked side in three years. The loss does need some team context for France though. The side are without some of their key stars for the three-Test tour of New Zealand. Pauline Bourdon Sansus has remained in France for family reasons, Madoussou Fall Raclot is pregnant, the captain, Manaé Feleu, is studying for her medical exams, while their injury list is quite substantial too. Siobhan Soqeta, Yllana Brosseau, Charlotte Escudero, Pauline Barrat and Joanna Grisez are all out with others like Ambre Mwayembe suspended for the game. France, though still depleted, have two more opportunities to recover from the battering with games against the Black Ferns on 24 and 31 October.

Memory lane

Colorado was a hotbed of women’s rugby development in the United States in the 1970s, led by university graduates and the Eastern Rockies Rugby Football Union which promoted regional tournaments and drew touring sides from across the country.

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