Nations Cup Rugby – England in Wet Win Over Canada – 2009 Tourney Champs

For full rosters and schedule of Nations Cup 2009, go here.
8/10: USA vs England Match Report
8/10: France vs South Africa Match Report
8/13: Canada vs South Africa Match Report
8/13: England vs France Match Report
8/16: Canada vs France Match Report
8/16: USA vs South Africa Match Report
8/19: England vs South Africa Match Report
8/19: Canada vs USA Match Report
8/22: USA vs France Match Report
8/22: England vs Canada Match Report

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from Rugby Canada:
The final match of the 2009 Nations Cup was an 80 minute Tide commercial.

The weather treated England to a taste of home as they beat Canada 22-0 in the last game of the 10 day tournament.

England was eager to annul Wednesday’s performance against South Africa and successfully played to the elements, keeping the ball tight and using kicks effectively for territory.

Following a series of scrums, England eventually crossed for their first try in the left corner of the pitch where they found success another two times.

The greasy conditions forced both squads to play a forwards’ game, though the majority of England’s tries were finished by the backs.

Canada held strong in the scrums defensively as England maintained most of the possession, directed well by veteran 10.

Canada’s defence held strong and was able to force England to score in the corners. Captain Leslie Cripps anchored the front row and the team, leading by example as England crossed another two times in the first half to lead 15-0.

England’s pack and Katy Maclean’s right foot was the engine of their yardage gain as the kicks consistently found touch, effectively eliminating fullback Ashley Patzer from any sort offensive counterattack.

Canada’s tackle count was ample as they consistently forced England to earn most of their ground a metre at a time. A strong point all week, their backrow continued to impress with a solid work rate and excellent work at the breakdown.

An injury to Canada’s Maria Gallo saw Brittany Waters, normally comfortable in the back three, make her second half international debut in the centres.

A cruel irony saw the skies dry up as the two teams shook hands. The rain really played a starring role in the game, wiping out any offensive flair game plans for either squad.

Canada finishes the tournament with 1-3 win-loss record, falling narrowly to France and the USA. The NSWT has a lot of positives to take from the 3 international tests and will be able to turn their losses into lessons in time for the November tour to France.

Canada prop Marlene Donaldson says the amount of the work the forwards put in today was remarkable.

“Kris [de Scossa] has been building an environment for the forwards where we believe in our ability to be one of the best packs in the world and we really showed genuine glimpses of that all tournament. Today especially, by never letting England come up the middle, I was really proud of the forwards. We have amazing depth in that we can put any combination of players on the field and still feel equally confident.”

Assistant and forward coach de Scossa echoed Donaldson’s sentiments and said he is really proud of the work the pack did up front all week.

“Without a doubt the key to building success is building a forward culture and taking responsibility for our performance. We are an inclusive not exclusive group so if players have a desire and passion to play, we will show them a pathway to success.

“This tournament has been a great foundation and stepping block to the pathways where we can be world class performers.”

de Scossa refuted the notion of pointing any player out and insisted on crediting the entire group for their hard work.

“It’s difficult to pinpoint one or two players, so it’s difficult to single out. It’s been great to see our more experienced players take this challenge head on. The exciting new players who have come in and seamlessly stepped into the team have shortly gained the international experience and now the know how hard we have to work to beat England and beat the world champions.

“This was the first step. Our development program to France and throughout the winter is going to be key and the girls know that.”