Pakistan, Oct. 18 -- England's unprecedented 41-game unbeaten run was broken by Canada 24-21 and witnessed by the biggest crowd in North American women's rugby on Friday.

Canada, unable to handle England's scrum, trailed 14-5 at halftime and 21-12 after more than an hour and didn't settle a compelling WXV contest until a 78th-minute try by Shoshanah Seumanutafa.

"We really had to grind it out and find a way," Canada captain Sophie de Goede said. "That's kind of the DNA of our team." England suffered its first loss since the 2022 Women's Rugby World Cup final, its only previous defeat in 72 matches since 2019. "Sometimes the flipped coin doesn't go on the side you want it to go," England captain Meg Jones said. "It's just the nature of t...