Scotland to Face England in World Cup Quarterfinals After Losing to Canada
Scotland will face England in the World Cup quarter-finals after a hard-fought 40-19 defeat against Canada at Sandy Park in Exeter. The fight for first place in Group B was intense until Canada, ranked second in the world and considered among the tournament favorites, pulled away in the final quarter of the match. Both teams were already qualified for the knockout stage, and the result in Devon would determine which of them would avoid the dominant England, who defeated Australia in their last group match. Scotland fought with persistence for the surprise and starred in highlights, but was often outmatched in the lead and had difficulties coping with the speed of play of their opponents.
During a period in the first half, they matched the favorites, with a try from Rhona Lloyd in the 22nd minute, only the second that Canada had conceded in the group stage.
This came after a long period of pressure, and the reward was when Lisa Thomson and Rachel McLachlan skillfully kept the ball in play for Chloe Rollie to send Lloyd to score. Canada’s advantage, established when McKinley Hunt scored in the 12th minute, was reduced to 7-5, but then they broke away by taking advantage of the yellow card shown to Evie Gallagher for a foul. First, they were awarded a penalty try due to a dominant scrum that was illegally stopped just before the line, and then Emily Tuttosi scored as gaps opened up, with Scotland struggling to cope with the speed of the attack. Losing 19-5, Scotland put the opposition under pressure again in the 22 area and scored when Helen Nelson advanced before Gallagher ran a line that led her to cross the try line. But the good work was quickly undone when Tuttosi scored from a line play with the help of a weak tackle from Sarah Bonar. Nelson had a try disallowed for offside, a key moment, as shortly after Canada’s pack showed its strength in a try for substitute Brittany Kassil. Francesca McGhie and Olivia DeMerchant exchanged tries at the end of the match.
