Both teams won with a four-try bonus point last weekend and will look to carry on the momentum. New Zealand are the defending PAC4 champions. Can Canada take the title for the first time since 2024?
Continuity & Discipline
The Black Ferns have made no personnel or positional changes to the side that defeated USA (48-15) in Sacramento last weekend.
There is a desire for a more disciplined performance following cards to Vici-Rose Green, Tanya Kalounivale, and Liana Mikaele-Tu’u against the Eagles.
Narrowly ahead 19-15 at halftime, the Black Ferns faced anxiety when veteran blindside Mikaele-Tu’u was yellow-carded for a shoulder-to-head tackle in the 42nd minute. The Eagles immediately launched a menacing attack inside the Black Ferns 22. A massive ruck turnover by tighthead prop Veisinia Mahutariki-Fakalelu defused it.
From the ensuing penalty, the Black Ferns gained favourable field position and eventually scored two tries while undermanned. Halfback Maia Joseph, set to play her 18th Test, reflected.
“I wasn’t really thinking about the score. It was more about getting our process right and striking the right balance between defence and our strength: attacking.
“Most of the girls in this team were in the World Cup semi-final we lost to Canada last year. We didn’t play the way we wanted to. We made too many mistakes and didn’t play in the right parts of the field.
“Canada’s lineout drive is very strong. It’s one of the key foundations of their game. The best way to stop that is not to concede penalties.”
Coach Whitney Hansen shared Joseph’s sentiment.
“Discipline was an issue at the World Cup; it wasn’t good enough against the USA. We’ve got to be better,” she said.
“We're looking to be a little more deliberate at the breakdown, build phases and finish.”
When that happens, the Black Ferns are the best team in the tournament. The Black Ferns made 14 line breaks in the opening round of the 2026 Pacific Four Series, more than twice as many as all other teams combined (6). They have made 45 line breaks across their last three games at the tournament. Mererangi Paul made four line breaks in Round 1 and has made more total line breaks than any player in the history of the Pacific Four Series (16).
The Black Ferns have lost only one of their last 12 Tests (W10 D1), scoring an average of 44 points per game across that frame. Additionally, the Black Ferns have won all nine women's Tests against Canada in North America by an average margin of 38 points per game. Their overall record in North America is 28 wins and three defeats.
Confident Canada
Canada beat Australia 24-0 in the opening round and have won 11 of their last 12 Tests. They haven’t lost to the Black Ferns since a 52-21 defeat in Ottawa in 2023. Last year, the teams shared a thrilling 27-27 draw in PAC4.
Canada’s first and most obvious strength is its foward pack. Hooker Emily Tuttosi and tighthead prop Daleaka Menin have played 112 combined Tests matches and anchored a scrum that demolished Australia last weekend. World Rugby Player of the Year Sophie De Goode returns as the starting lock. She does it all, inculding the goalkicks. Canadian halfback Justine Pelletier is world-class and was player of the match in the Rugby World Cup semi-final last year. Her running game near the ruck is incisive, and her strategic command is outstanding. Unsettling Pelletier will go a long way towards winning the match. Captain Alexandra Tessier returns after missing the Wallaroos match. Winger Asia Hogan-Rochester has scored eight tries in nine Test matches.
“For many reasons, the game against New Zealand at the last World Cup was a lot of fun; it was a big moment for our team and for rugby in Canada,” said Kevin Rouet, Coach of Canada. “We respect the history of the Black Ferns and the success they have sustained for decades and that’s why it’s important for us to continue to showcase that Canada can also be a strong rugby country and that what we have built is sustainable.”
Resurgent Renee Holmes
With two tries, five conversions, and a penalty from eight attempts, it was a prolific outing for the Chiefs Manawa, Hurricanes Poua-bound fullback against the USA.
Holmes is the best goal kicker in New Zealand and seems to have rediscovered the attacking verve that made her a weapon in the Black Ferns 2022 Rugby World Cup triumph. Besides her two tries, she helped create one for Paul and ranked among the top five in metres gained and line-breaks. Her 23 points are the fifth-highest in a single match by a Black Fern against the USA.
Holmes appeared likely to miss the 2025 Rugby World Cup after a dip in form in 2024. However, she was selected to go to England and repaid the selectors’ faith, being named player of the match in the 42-26 win against France in the third-place playoff at Twickenham. She scored 17 points to move into third place on the all-time Black Ferns scoring list, passing Vanessa Coutts. She scored a try and kicked two 40-metre penalties.
At the 2025 Rugby World Cup, she kicked the third most conversions with 19 and scored the second most points with 64, and it seems her form has continued in this year’s Pac Four.
Most Points By the Black Ferns Against the USA
Tammi Wilson - 6 tries, 3 conversions, 36 points, Won 65-5, Palmerston North, 1999
Portia Woodman-Wickliffe - 7 tries, 35 points, Won 79-14, North Harbour, 2025
Vanessa Coutts - 5 tries, 25 points, Won 86-8, Edmonton, 1996
Vanessa Coutts - 5 tries, 25 points, Won 44-12, Amsterdam, 1998
Renee Holmes - 2 tries, 5 conversions, penalty, 23 points, Won 48-15, Sacramento, 2026
Hedi Reader - 1 try, 8 conversions, 21 points, Won 86-8, Edmonton, 1996
