Wales lose WXV opener against Canada

Wales fell short in their pursuit of a first win over Canada in 17 years after they lost 42-22 in their WXV1 opener in Wellington.

Canada hit the front inside five minutes thanks to Sophie De Goede but Wales hit back almost straight away through a Carys Phillips try before Keira Bevan’s touchline conversion and penalty gave Wales a slender advantage.

Canada then saw Sara Svoboda and Madison Grant cross the whitewash but Wales continued to bite back and they reduced their deficit to just four points on the stroke of half-time when Georgia Evans sprinted over.

Kevin Rouet’s side made their quality count in the second half with tries from McKinley Hunt and Gillian Boag but Wales got on the scoreboard again when Alex Callender bundled over before Canada sealed victory with Maude Lachance’s try.