Burnaby Lake Rugby’s Carolyn McEwen scored and Canada gave it a strong push but couldn’t protect the lead in the second half en route to a 27-20 loss to England in the second game of the International Women’s Rugby Series in New Zealand on Monday.
After falling behind 12-3, Canada closed the gap with a march that included McEwen’s try prior to halftime.
Down by five entering the second half, Karen Paguin propelled Canada into the lead when she intercepted a pass and ran the length of the field for a try. Magali Harvey added a convert to make it 17-15.
But England replied promptly, then matched another Harvey penalty kick with a late try.
“We definitely stepped it up but it’s still not enough,” captain Kelly Russell said. “We need to play the full 80 minutes and we need to fight for 80 minutes.”
Canadian Men take first loss in International Series
The Canadian men's rugby team surrendered only one try, but were unable to put a dent in the scoreboard in a 13-0 loss to Georgia in the first test match of their #RISEAsOne Summer Series in Alberta.
Georgia's lone try came in the 77th minute, rounding out an offence built on penalty kicks.
"We had a young team out there but we left a few players out deliberately but I thought the guys handled themselves really well," Canada's head coach Mark Anscombe said. "Against a quality team like Georgia, to get as close as we did with a young team, is very encouraging.
"I'm really proud of the way the boys played today."
Canada's Aaron Carpenter tied Al Charron's test record of 76 caps as he came on as a second half replacement.
The Canadian roster featured a slew of B.C. talent, including a pair from the Burnaby Lake Rugby Club -- national team veteran Admir Cejvanovic and Anthony Luca, who made his national team debut as a second half replacement.
Georgia took an early 3-0 lead in the just the third minute off an early penalty, a score that would hold until half time. Canada had opportunities in the half — UBC's Andrew Coe knocking on from only a few meters out and Conor Trainor of the B.C. Bears nearly scoring off of a chip-and-chase.
Merab Kvirkashvili extended Georgia's lead to 6-0 in the 46th minute with another penalty but missed two more opportunities before the hour mark to add to the lead. Kvirkashvili would seal the deal in the 77th minute as he dived onto a loose ball after another B.C. Bear, Phil Mack, couldn’t collect a high ball before converting to secure a 13-0 win.
“We’ve got some big games coming up,” Anscombe said. “We left some people out to manage the workload of the squad for the first couple of weeks.
“I think the guys that went out today did themselves and the jersey proud.”
Canada is back in action June 17 against Romania in Edmonton before they head to Hamilton to face the USA on June 24 in the first leg of their 2019 Rugby World Cup qualifier. The second leg is July 1 in San Diego.
