BRISTOL, England : Canada produced a stunning first-half performance to beat New Zealand and reach the Women’s World Cup final with a 34-19 victory on Friday, inflicting a first defeat in the tournament on the double defending champions since 2014.
Justine Pelletier, Asia Hogan-Rochester, Florence Symonds, and Sophie de Goede crossed in the first half for the dominant Canadians and Alex Tessier added another try after the break.
Six-times champions New Zealand produced a spirited fightback after the restart but could not prevent the Canadians reaching their second World Cup final after losing to England 11 years ago.
Canada will play the winner of the second semi-final between England and France in decider at Twickenham next Saturday.
