Well, what a weekend we have ahead of us. For us here in Canada, the headline event is Canada vs. England Women’s Rugby here in Toronto at BMO Field, kicking off the weekend’s festivities! Yes, we will be there, and we sincerely hope as many of you as possible will be there too, as the game is set to break attendance records for a Women’s Rugby game in North America!
That’s followed by Australia and New Zealand battling it out once more in Bledisloe 2, though New Zealand will keep the Cup for another year, as it has for the past 25. The Wallabies had much promise ahead of the Series, especially after their remarkable upset win over the Springboks last month. However, Eden Fortress remained an impregnable fortress for the All Blacks, and the Wallabies sadly wilted despite the expectations, handing their new coach, Les Kiss, his first defeat since taking over in August. Home-soil advantage in Sydney may spark life in the Wallabies once more, but it’s a tall order after a dominant All Blacks side breezed past them in Bledisloe 1.
Finally, this weekend sees the opening round of Pool matches in the Investec Champions Cup. While the Pool stages remain problematic, especially with only four rounds before the knockouts, there should be some good matchups this year, hopefully making this stage more interesting than last year. However, can anyone other than Northampton or Toulouse really snatch Bordeaux’s crown?
BMO Field Toronto this Friday, it’s going to get Loud!!!!
Here at the Lineout, this is our Rugby event of the year. We simply can’t wait for tomorrow night at Toronto’s BMO Field. Both England and Canada bring their big guns to what should be a fabulous occasion for Rugby in this country. Canada’s sole focus this year has been this Series, and they acquitted themselves in the first of three Tests in Exeter by breaking England’s 39-game winning streak and earning a 26-26 draw last month. Can they take it a step further and win tomorrow, and with it find some solace from losing to England just over a year ago in the World Cup Final?
Both teams bring an all-star lineup, and honestly, we can’t find any obvious weaknesses. Canada’s tight five fronted up physically in Exeter to whatever England could throw at them. Canada’s new Hooker Kiki Idowu has made everyone sit up and take notice, so much so that regular Emily Tuttosi, who has been such a valuable servant to the team, finds herself on the bench – but what a replacement! DaLeaka Menin, as usual, starts at Tighthead after a phenomenal performance in Exeter, scoring two fine tries, with Mikiela Nelson doing a fine job shoring up the Loosehead side of things. England’s offering to match Canada’s is equally daunting, with try-scoring machine Hooker Amy Cokayne looking to cause havoc alongside Hannah Botterman and Sarah Bern; for front-row pedigree, you don’t get much more high-calibre than that.
The same second-row combinations on both sides also took to the field in Exeter. Sophie de Goede takes the Captain’s armband this time for Canada, partnered by the more-than-capable Laetitia Royer, both lethal in the loose and at disrupting opposition lineouts. Many rate De Goede as one of the best players the Women’s game has ever seen, and she’s well on her way to becoming one of the decade’s most important players. England’s offering has no cobwebs either, with Morwenna Talling and Lilli Ives Campion both showing exceptional promise for the future.
Rachel Smith moves back to the back row for Canada, a position she seems more comfortable in, with the outstanding Julia Omokhuale taking the openside flanker role. However, we’re perhaps most excited to see Canada’s new number 8, Lizzie Gibson, one of the most exciting finds in Women’s Test Rugby this year. Fast, powerful, and an absolute menace at the breakdown, expect Gibson to be one of Canada’s key disruptors to any rhythm England tries to establish. England’s back row packs brutal physicality, but Canada showed they could cope in Exeter, with Alex Matthews and Abigail Burton on the flanks. However, the wild card at number 8 is Maddie Feaunati, whom Canada will have to work hardest to contain, as she, like Canada’s Gibson, can spark attacking momentum.
Olivia Apps retains the starting scrum-half berth, with Justine Pelletier scheduled as her impact replacement off the bench. With two players of this quality, how does Coach Kevin Rouet decide who starts and who finishes? England have an equally powerful combination, Lucy Packer and Natasha Hunt. At fly half, Alex Tessier shifts from centre to take on the playmaking role. Given that it’s likely to be a windy old night at BMO Field, Canada will likely play less of an aerial game and take it more directly to the line, a role Tessier excels at from fly-half. Zoe Harrison for England has a superb kicking game but, like Canada, will probably want to limit aerial battles despite her talents, as conditions will likely make kicking both challenging and risky.
Taylor Perry moves from fly half to the centre channels for this game, but lacks nothing in terms of physicality required for the positional shift, as does the exceptional Florence Symonds. While we have always appreciatedSymonds’s offloading game and ability to break defences open, her tackling in Exeter was outstanding. Both Canadian centres will have to be at their defensive best to cope with the threat posed by England’s Megan Jones and Tatyana Heard. Jones once again assumes the Captaincy for England, and with the ball in hand she can be unstoppable if given any room, while also being a defensive powerhouse.
Out wide, Canada have power and pace in Alysha Corrigan on the wing, but expect Asia Hogan-Rochester to set some land-speed records on Friday night as one of Canada’s primary try-scoring threats. England have the impressive newcomer Claudia Moloney-Macdonald, who was a huge threat with ball in hand in Exeter, and the ever-capable Jess Breach. At fullback, Canada’s newcomer Savannah Bauder will have her work cut out for her, as she faces arguably Women’s Rugby’s most famous name, her English counterpart Ellie Kildunne. Keeping the elusive, exceptionally fast Kildunne in check will be daunting, but if Bauder rises to the challenge, we think Friday night will birth a star.
Both benches boast enormous quality and depth, and the term finishers for both sides captures the character of the 16 women who will watch their colleagues take to the pitch to get proceedings underway. Neither England nor Canada will lose anything in quality as the benches start to empty. England has always had depth, but the most pleasing thing about Canada’s development over the last four years is that it can also field a world-class matchday 23 weeks in, week out.
Even on home soil and in front of what will likely be a passionate, vocal crowd, beating England will still be a massive challenge. But if ever there was a side and an opportunity to do so, Canada has it tomorrow and then some. It will be windy, and the ground will likely be slippery after a morning of rain, making for a potentially greasy ball. Canada will need to hang on to the ball and avoid the temptation to get into a kicking battle with England, which, in all honesty, they would probably lose in such conditions. Much of what they did in Exeter- strong set-piece work, physicality that has gone up a few gears since last year’s World Cup, and the speed and cohesion they have become famous for- will be their best weapons.
If Canada deny England possession and keep their own handling errors to a minimum, they can put the Red Roses under pressure they are distinctly uncomfortable with, and, as we’ve seen so far this year, that forces uncharacteristic errors. If they let England engage in endless rolling mauls, Canada will have a long night. As much as Canada thrives on broken play, backed by their legendary speed at the breakdown, England has learnt many of the same tricks, and Exeter’s pace made the game both breathtaking and exhausting. In many ways, the pressure is on Canada more than England in front of an expectant home crowd, and Canada will need to keep a cool head and not let the occasion’s emotion cloud their decision-making. Canada have the chance to level the playing field with England once more, and we can’t wait to watch them bring their 110% commitment to every game. Good luck, ladies; we’ll be proudly cheering you on every step of the way!
Canada vs England – Friday, October 16th – 7:00 PM (Eastern) – TSN 3 and 4 (live and on demand) and if you’re in Toronto, tickets are still available at BMO Field.
Bledisloe 2 sees the Cup stay in New Zealand for a record 25 years, but the Wallabies still have plenty of pride to play for in Sydney!
Well, we’ll be honest: the drubbing the Wallabies took from the All Blacks last week at Eden Park wasn’t the game we envisioned, especially after Australia’s remarkable, albeit crazy, performance against South Africa last month. We even thought in the first 10 minutes we were in for more of the same after Wallaby fullback Tom Wright’s remarkable try from nowhere. Then it all stopped, barring the odd moment of brilliance.
Fresh from a painful tour of South Africa and an exhibition dustup in Baltimore with their fabled opponents, the Springboks, New Zealand were in no mood for pleasantries. The physicality and execution they brought to proceedings in Auckland must have left their Coaching staff and fans wondering where such qualities had been in South Africa. New Zealand pummelled Australia for the full eighty minutes, putting in big hit after big hit. Centre Jordie Barrett in particular tackled everything that moved with the kind of ferocity usually reserved for Ardie Savea. However, his teammates were equally physical, shutting down every glimmer of opportunity that rarely came Australia’s way. After that first Wallaby try, the collective mood among everyone in a black jersey was, “right, that’s enough of that then”, and that’s how the rest of the match went.
Just as the Springboks had dominated New Zealand physically for four weeks, the Wallabies got the same punishment at Eden Park. If you look at the game’s statistics, the two sides were evenly matched in the set pieces and phases, but Australia’s kicking game and accuracy were unfortunately below par, which didn’t help. However, on territory and possession, the numbers don’t lie, and it was all about New Zealand. Whatever Australia had in that regard, New Zealand smashed it. New Zealand’s accuracy, which at times had been lacking, was pinpoint at Eden Park. Apart from their lineout work, which is still an Achilles’ heel, everything else they did stuck. Their passes were accurate, and in one of his best games at fly-half, Damian Mackenzie, along with the exceptional Cam Roigard at scrum-half, kept the All Blacks fizzing for the full eighty minutes, using space with speed and power.
Like we say, Australia weren’t all that bad; they just weren’t nearly as good or as polished as the All Blacks. To beat the All Blacks at Eden Park, you have to be exceptional, and unfortunately, although enterprising at times, the Wallabies were far from the standard needed on the day against a world-class opponent who had just spent the last three weeks licking their wounds and had a point to prove in front of their fans who simply do not countenance failure. When things start to unravel for Australia, their discipline does too. They were lucky to get away with it against the Springboks last month, but only because they built a commanding lead to begin with. If they can’t do that from the outset, then they have to rely on the label of being one of Test rugby’s most remarkable groups of comeback kids. The problem with that moniker, though, is that it introduces luck into the equation far too often.
Australia now head into Bledisloe 2 with the silverware lost for the 25th consecutive year, a pretty humbling statistic for even the greatest sides to wrap their heads around. However, playing at home always seems to bring out the best in what is essentially a talented, highly capable team, even if it lacks consistency and the kind of sure-fire depth needed in certain key positions. The silverware for this Series may be sealed away in the Eden Park vault yet again, but this game matters for both sides. New Zealand will want to lay down the marker that they will be the team to beat next year in Australia at the World Cup despite their recent misfortunes in South Africa. Australia will want to show the home faithful that Saturday, like the match in Perth last month against the World Champions South Africa, is the first positive step on the hard twelve-month journey ahead to attempt to lift the Webb Ellis Cup on home soil next year. Plus, the Rugby Nations Championship next month will set the global pecking order in the countdown to the World Cup for both teams and highlight what needs fixing.
In short, the silverware may not be up for grabs on Saturday, but national pride, with an eye to next year, will provide more than enough motivation for both sides to take no prisoners. If you’re looking for a match with plenty to prove for both sides this weekend, and tomorrow’s proceedings at BMO Field aren’t enough, we imagine this game will be a useful top-up to your weekend adrenaline rush.
Australia vs New Zealand – Saturday, October 17th – 12:50 AM (Eastern) – Premier Sports and Stan Sport Australia (live and on demand)
The Investec Champions Cup is back, and hopefully the always-problematic Pool stages are more competitive and entertaining this year!
Well, it’s back, folks, and yes, we are looking forward to it. We only get two rounds in 2026: a Pool weekend this month, then one in December. After that, we get two back-to-back Pool weekends in January, then the knockouts in April.
While the format is, as always, less than ideal compared with the glory days of the Heineken Cup, this year’s Pool stages, starting with this weekend at least, deliver some meaningful, high-stakes matches. Who will win this year is anybody’s guess. A Toulouse or Bordeaux sweep is a distinct possibility. Still, the question remains whether one of the South African sides will finally reach the Finals, something they have had the potential to do since entering the competition. Meanwhile, will one of the traditional English powerhouses, like Northampton or Bath, finally finish what they started after threatening to do so for the last three years? Will the revitalized new darlings of English rugby, Gloucester, be the dark horse nobody saw coming? Can Leinster finally get their European adventures back on track as Ireland’s most likely suspect, or could Glasgow at long last go the distance for Scotland?
So many questions to answer, but at this stage, all purely academic. So, if you have a few spare moments this weekend and want to start answering some of those initial questions, a few games over the next three days may be worth watching. Bordeaux will visit Gloucester on Friday, and that should go a long way toward determining how much of a threat English clubs really will be in Europe this year. Bristol Bears make the long trip to Cape Town on Saturday to face the Stormers; both teams have huge potential but rarely travel well. Will this year be different? Bath promised much last year but ultimately failed to deliver both domestically and in Europe. At the same time, their opponents on Saturday, Montpellier, won the Challenge Cup and were runners-up in the TOP 14, so the clash at Bath’s famous ground will be another pointer to what this European season might have in store. Finally, on Sunday, Leicester have looked sharp initially in the Premiership, as have Pau in France’s TOP 14, but when it matters most, both sides seem to fail to show up. Will their meeting on Sunday show us something different about both sides and their respective fortunes this year, both domestically and in Europe?
Plenty to ponder, if you still have enough energy after BMO’s festivities tomorrow and the action down under in the wee hours of Saturday morning. The best news is you can catch it all on FLO Sports in the US, here in Canada, without a VPN.
Gloucester vs Bordeaux – Friday, October 16th – 3:00 PM (Eastern) – FLO Rugby (live and on demand)
Stormers vs Bristol Bears – Saturday, October 17th – 10:15 AM (Eastern) – FLO Rugby (live and on demand)
Bath vs Montpellier – Saturday, October 17th – 3:00 PM (Eastern) – FLO Rugby (live and on demand)
Pau vs Leicester – Sunday, October 18th – 8:00 AM (Eastern) – FLO Rugby (live and on demand)
