England Women have been crowned the inaugural Under 20 Nations Cup winners after beating host nation Canada 30-7 in the final at Appleby College in Oakville, Ontario, on Saturday.
The heavens opened just before kick off but England Under 20s played the conditions well with territorial kicking and tough defence keeping Canada on the back foot, opening the scoring with a pushover try for hooker Davina Monteiro on 14 minutes.
Fly half Clare Garner and wing Natasha Hunt also crossed for tries as England established a 19-0 advantage, before flanker Kaitlin Richard scored under the posts for Canada to cut the deficit to 12 points at half time.
Emily Scarratt kicked two penalties after the interval to stretch England Under 20s’ lead to 25-7 before the full back sealed the victory with her side’s fourth try just before the hour mark after turning over Canadian ball.
The score was almost identical to England’s 31-5 victory over Canada on the opening day of the tournament, and coach Giselle Mather’s side also beat the Canada A side 22-5 and their Welsh counterparts 14-3.
“We are enormously proud of the journey this squad has been on. They have become very dedicated and committed athletes who have worked very hard to achieve their goal of winning the Under 20s Nations Cup,” said Mather.
“To play four very hard games in nine days and to produce performances in the heat and driving rain that we are very proud of is a remarkable achievement.
“The standard of rugby played throughout this tournament by all sides has raised the bar at this level and to have come out as winners has been a real testament to the girls’ hard work.”
Results:
11 July:
Wales 11-13 Canada A
England 31-5 Canada
14 July:
England 22-5 Canada A
Canada 22-0 Wales
16 July:
England 14-3 Wales
19 July:
Final – England 31-7 Canada
