Canada, playing its first game in more than six months, opened defence of its Pacific Four Series title with a somewhat laboured 26-14 win over the U.S. in women’s international rugby play Friday. The Canadians needed two late tries to seal the deal, taking advantage of the Americans being down a player with Charli Jacoby sin-binned in the 69th minute for a high tackle. Canadian Courtney O’Donnell scored off the back of a rolling maul in the 72nd minute before Sarah-Maude Lachance added an insurance try in the 77th. Canada had won the last nine games with the U.S. and scored 50 points in each of the last two meetings, including a 50-7 victory at last year’s Pacific Four Series. The Canadians had outscored the Americans 311-104 since a 20-18 loss in July 2019 in Chula Vista, Calif. Both teams are gearing up for this summer’s Rugby World Cup in England. “Today, we finished the job even though it was not easy. I think the U.S.A. put up a fight and the crowd was incredible,” said Canada captain Alex Tessier. “We didn’t get everything right. A lot to review,” she added. The game at CPKC Stadium, before an announced crowd of 10,518 at the 11,500-seat home of the NWSL’s Kansas City Current, was the first for the second-ranked Canadians since the WXV 1 tournament in October that finished with a 21-12 loss to No. 1 England in Vancouver. The ninth-ranked Americans were coming off a 39-33 loss to No. 11 Japan last Saturday in Los Angeles. Penalties and handling errors did not help the Canadian cause with a stiff U.S. defence also playing its part. But both teams looked rusty with a high error rate. Trailing 14-7 in the 66th minute, the U.S. pulled even after American centre Alev Kelter intercepted a Canadian pass and outraced Tessier to score in the corner. McKenzie Hawkins nailed the conversion from the sideline to pull the Americans even. Justine Pelletier and Laetitia Royer also scored tries for Canada, which led 14-7 at the break after spending most of the first half camped deep in the American end. Julia Schell kicked three conversions. Kate Zackary also scored a try for the U.S. Hawkins kicked two conversions. American star Ilona Maher, playing close to an hour at centre, had a quiet night other than a few powerful runs dragging Canadian tacklers with her. The Canadians head next to the Southern Hemisphere to continue tournament play against No. 3 New Zealand on May 16 in Christchurch and No. 6 Australia on May 23 in Brisbane. Canada coach Kevin Rouet will bolster his squad with Alysha Corrigan, Asia Hogan-Rochester, Florence Symonds, Mahalia Robinson and Olivia Apps from the sevens team for the New Zealand and Australia tests. Canada won last year’s Pacific Four Series with its first-ever victory over New Zealand, defeating the defending World Cup champion Black Ferns 22-19 last May in Christchurch. The Canadians penned the Americans in near their goal-line before Pelletier found a gap in the U.S. defence and ran in for a converted try and 7-0 lead in the 10th minute. Veteran Canadian flanker Karen Paquin in her first start since the last World Cup in 2022, had a try taken off the board in the 24th minute after the television match official found a knock-on in the buildup. The Canadians finally turned their territorial advantage into another try by Royer in the 35th minute after No. 8 Gabrielle Senft powered her way close to the goal-line. The U.S. cut the lead to 14-7 two minutes later via a Zackary converted try after Tahlia Brody ripped the ball away from Canadian centre Taylor Perry in the tackle. O’Donnell was sin-binned in the 52nd minute for foul play when she made contact with an American player’s head in a tackle, reducing the Canadians to 14 women for 10 minutes. Canada’s matchday 23 featured 14 players who play their club rugby in England, four in France and one in New Zealand. Lock Rachel Smith, the 2024 U-Sports Rugby 15s Player of the Year with UBC, earned her first cap for Canada while prop Rori Wood, who made he debut off the bench against Ireland last fall, made her first Canada start. American prop Hope Rogers won her 52nd cap, breaking the U.S. all-time women’s record held by Jamie Burke for more than a decade. The 32-year-old Rogers made her debut against France in 2013. Canada came into the game with a 10-5-0 record since losing 36-0 to France in the third-place game at the Rugby World Cup in November 2022. Four of those losses were to No. 1 England, with the other to New Zealand. Canada went 5-1-0 in 2024.