Canada earned its first victory over New Zealand to overtake them and move into second place behind England in the World Rugby women’s rankings.
The Black Ferns’ defeat in the 18th meeting between both teams leaves them outside the top two places in the standings for the first time.
Fancy Bermudez scored twice, once in each half, in a 22-21 victory as Canada secured the Pacific Four Series title in Christchurch despite scrum-half Olivia Apps being taken off with 10 minutes remaining.
New Zealand took an early lead through Katelyn Vahaakolo and the winger scored again in the 23rd minute to extend her team’s lead to 14-3, with Ruahei Demant converting both.
But Bermudez ensured his team were only 14-10 behind at the break before McKinley Hunt put them ahead with a try early in the second half and Bermudez crossed again on the hour.
Patricia Maliepo’s try made for a tense finish, but Canada held on for a famous victory, with captain Sophie de Goede full of praise for her team.
“Defensively, the stand before half-time where we kept them out was a big moment for us,” he said. “I’m very proud of the work we did around the breakdown.
“We’ve been knocking on the door and pushing for Canada to make a statement on the world stage for a while now.”
