Australia v Canada
That might be a tiny bit of a hopeful punt, but Canada’s all-round play takes a lot of stopping. The Wallaroos found them too hot to handle.
The game could hardly have started worse for the hosts. They let Alex Tessier’s kick-off bounce back into Krissy Scurfield’s hands. Canada were caught holding on, but Ash Marsters suffered a shoulder injury that need attention.
The Wallaroos were twice saved by their skipper Siokapesi Palu, who forced turnovers. They weren’t enough. Inside three minutes they lost their own line-out twice, then the Maple Leafs’ pack shunted them back 22 metres (!) for a try to McKinley Hunt. 0-7
Australia responded well, but lacked the smoothness of cohesion to complete moves. It didn’t help that the teenager Caitlyn Halse needed an HIA. She did return.
More wonderful passing gave DaLeaka Menin the chance to make an impressive break; she fed Karen Paquin who scored an easy try. 0-14
Canada were playing like sure-fire RWC finalists! After driving the Wallaroos off a scrum, they handled the ball with pace and skill. Julia Schell had their third, accelerating into the line to outnumber the opposition. Her kick brought her eleven points inside the first quarter. 0-21
Another astonishing sequence: Olivia Apps won a turnover like any No 7, Paquin made a huge break and Florence Symonds took play back to the 22. From there the pack drove even faster to the line than the previous time; Gillian Boag with the last touch. That was the bonus inside 25 minutes.
Oh no, it wasn’t! We’re forgetting the TMO, the only person on the ground able to spot obstruction at the line-out. As you were: 0-21
This feature of the game could well decide a future final. That would make a change.
At last the small crowd in the vast Suncorp Stadium had something to cheer; the Wallaroos won a penalty. They went to the corner, but once more failed to complete a line-out. Charlotte Caslick almost made a midfield break, and Halse produced an excellent diagonal. Another penalty followed, but Laetitia Royer forced a turnover.
As the break approached, another handling move looked to bring a certain score, but Paquin’s final pass went astray. No matter. There was still time for Royer to accept a pass and dot down.
Half-time: 0-26
The second half started quite differently. The Wallaroos won a penalty and Adiana Talakai, just on, drove over. Ha! Pleasure delayed. It’s TMO time again; a tiny knock-on by Palu – no try!
They put things straight at once. Georgie Friedrichs ran a clever line, and Desiree Miller finished with great strength. Good! 7-26
Outstanding link-play by the Maple Leafs put matters straight. Krissy Scurfield had her first of the day. 7-31
Canada hadn’t enjoyed that score against; they turned on the power, pace and skill. Tessier was the next to benefit, DaLeaka Menin producing a wonderful offload under pressure. 7-38
There came a curious moment when Courtney O’Donnell was shown making head-on-head contact, but the TMO didn’t intervene.
It was Canada’s turn to muff a line-out, and the Wallaroos prospered with far more possession. But faulty passes kept halting promising moves.
It needed a wonderful covering tackle by Caslick to keep Scurfield out an inch from the line. Justine Pelletier, knowing her place is under great threat from the superb Apps, offered a Bourdon-type no-look reverse to Paquin that started another searing attack.
They opted for a scrum at a 5-metre penalty. Pelletier went for the line; Fabiola Forteza got there.
7-45
Another quite wonderful passage of play saw Forteza claim her second. Fancy Bermudez drew the last defender to leave her with open country. And it all started with an Aussie line-out just outside the Canadian 22. Sorry, wrong again! The TMO spotted a final forward pass. Where would we be without him? Answer: scoring hundreds of undeserved points!
It was Caroline Crossley’s turn to make a big break, and the Canadians went on throwing the ball around like a hot potato. It was thrilling to watch. As with the new England, they were happy to aim the 15-metre pass to a winger.
In an unusual finish, Canada opted for a pot at goal in the 81st minute. Schell’s kick hit the outside of a post and rebounded in play. Layne Morgan went for touch to limit the punishment.
Result: Australia 7 Canada 45
Player of the Match: Laetitia Royer
Referee: Maggie Cogger-Orr (NZR)
Teams:
Australia
1. Martha Fua 2. Katalina Amosa 3. Bridie O’Gorman 4. Kaitlan Leaney 5. Michaela Leonard 6. Siokapesi Palu (captain) 7. Ashley Marsters 8. Tabua Tuinakauvadra 9. Layne Morgan 10. Faitala Moleka 11. Desiree Miller 12. Charlotte Caslick 13. Georgina Friedrichs 14. Biola Dawa 15. Caitlyn Halse
16. Adiana Talakai 17. Bree-Anna Browne 18. Eva Karpani 19. Ashley Fernandez 20. Emily Chancellor 21. Ruby Anderson 22. Tia Hinds 23. Trilleen Pomare
Canada
1. McKinley Hunt 2. Gillian Boag 3. DaLeaka Menin 4. Courtney O’Donnell 5. Tyson Beukeboom 6.
Laetitia Royer 7. Karen Paquin 8. Fabiola Forteza 9. Olivia Apps 10. Claire Gallagher 11. Krissy
Scurfield 12. Alex Tessier 13. Florence Symonds 14. Alysha Corrigan 15. Julia Schell
16. Emily Tuttosi 17. Mikiela Nelson 18 Rori Wood 19. Julia Omokhuale 20 Caroline Crossley 21
Justine Pelletier 22. Shoshanah Seumanutafa 23. Fancy Bermudez
Note: Asia Hogan-Rochester was a late withdrawal at 14
Afterthoughts
Pre-match the Wallaroos stood 0-6 in these contests.
Lesson: a scrum under pressure is understandable; poor line-out control less so.
Jo Yapp had opted for another 6:2 bench split, but it made little difference to the outcome. She has three matches to refine matters; the Black Ferns won’t offer much help, but two games against Cymru may.
The Canadians are building a formidable machine with a powerful pack and inventive backs. Flo Symonds adds an important ingredient to their midfield play.
