NZ in World Cup final after France blow late kick

2 years ago 90

Wingers Abby Dow and Claudia MacDonald combined for a length-of-the-field effort that sent top-ranked England into the last of the Rugby World Cup with a 26-19 triumph implicit Canada connected Saturday which stretched its satellite grounds winning streak to 30 Tests.

England volition look defending champion New Zealand, which rallied from 17-10 down astatine halftime to bushed France 25-24, besides astatine Auckland's Eden Park.

Caroline Drouin had a accidental to nonstop France to its archetypal World Cup last with a punishment successful the last infinitesimal but hurried the footwear and dragged it wide from 30 metres.

Watch the Rugby World Cup last betwixt New Zealand and England connected the location of rugby, Stan Sport. All matches streaming ad-free, unrecorded and connected demand

Earlier, England faced 1 of the stiffest challenges to its historical winning streak erstwhile it led 18-12 aft 50 minutes with Canada battering astatine its extremity line.

Several Canada players went adjacent to scoring earlier England yet forced the turnover that acceptable the effort of the tourney successful motion.

MacDonald archetypal broke retired from down the England extremity enactment and made lengthy advancement downfield.

When she met absorption connected the left-hand broadside she swept the shot cross-field to Dow connected the close who carried the shot from adjacent halfway to the extremity enactment where, aft fending the past defender, she touched down for the match-winning try.

Dow already had scored arsenic England built a 12-0 pb aft 15-0 minutes.

Canada came backmost powerfully into the lucifer with tries to backrower Karen Paquin and centre Alysha Corrigan which brought the teams level aft 35 minutes.

England needed a punishment to Emily Scarratt to gain a 15-12 pb astatine halftime and led 18-12 soon afterwards with different Scarratt goal.

Then came an England effort which whitethorn lucifer the fabled "try from the ends of the earth" which France scored against the All Blacks astatine Eden Park successful 1994.

An England squad celebrated for the prime of its guardant play unleashed its backline successful the astir unexpected of circumstances and the effort that resulted decided the match.

"We've travel into get into that crippled adjacent week and Canada truly pressed us," England skipper Sarah Hunter said.

"For rugby fans retired there, hopefully that was a large showcase of what women's rugby is each about."

England seemed to beryllium adhering to its well-worn crippled program successful the archetypal fractional successful which its forwards gave it 57 per cent of territory and 53 per cent of possession.

Canada pressed the England enactment for agelong periods astatine times and was reward with a effort to Corrigan successful the 35th minute.

When the forwards couldn't find a mode done adjacent the line, a agelong walk recovered Corrigan successful space.

England could trust connected the footwear of Scarratt astatine cardinal moments with her penalties either broadside of halftime.

When England was again nether unit aft a effort to replacement Tyson Beukeboom successful the 68th infinitesimal which brought Canada backmost into the lucifer astatine 23-19, Scarratt again goaled to marque England's borderline secure.

Canada had to edifice to a GoFundMe leafage to enactment its World Cup campaign.

"Just deliberation what we could bash with much games and much resources," skipper Sophie de Goede said.

"I'm truly arrogant to beryllium Canadian and I deliberation there's a agleam aboriginal up for us."

New Zealand produced an outstanding 2nd fractional show to crook astir France's halftime pb and drawback its spot successful the final.

Fans had predicted a last match-up betwixt the satellite No.1 and the defending champions but New Zealand needed an bonzer show to marque that happen.

France was the amended squad successful the archetypal half, composed and controlled.

They led aboriginal with a effort to Romane Menager and, aft New Zealand had leveled done Stacey Fluhler, took the pb again with Gabrielle Vernier's effort connected halftime.

New Zealand dominated possession successful the 2nd fractional and, aided by a dense punishment number successful its favour, went up with tries to Ruby Tui and Theresa Fitzpatrick.

France chopped the borderline to 1 constituent with Menager's 2nd try, giving Drouin the accidental to triumph the lucifer successful the 79th minute.

"The quality successful the crippled wasn't that kick," Vernier said.

"We should person been amended each game, we should person been amended successful defence. Best wishes for New Zealand against England."

The last is acceptable for adjacent Saturday, besides astatine Eden Park.

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