England are into next Saturday’s World Cup final against New Zealand but it required two tries from the pacy Abby Dow to rescue them from the abyss in Auckland. The Red Roses had to cling on at times against a fired-up, physical Canada but battled through to register their 30th successive Test victory and keep alive their hopes of a first world title since 2014.
It said everything about the commitment of Canada’s amateurs, though, that the upset of the tournament was still a real possibility well into the final quarter. The margin was a slender 23-19 courtesy of a 68th-minute try by the replacement Tyson Beukeboom and it needed a 71st-minute penalty from Emily Scarratt to settle fluttering English nerves.
