Canada Prepare For Australia After Historic Win

Canada Prepare For Australia After Historic Win

Canada Ravens players will have little time to celebrate their historic win over Papua New Guinea as they prepare to face Australia in the next round of the Rugby League Women's World Cup at Southern Cross Group Stadium on Wednesday.

The Ravens, whose players have backgrounds in rugby union and American football but boast little previous Rugby League experience, recorded their first World Cup triumph on Sunday night when they downed the Orchids 22-8 in a hard-fought match that virtually guarantees them a place in the semi-finals.

The jubilant Canada players soaked up the atmosphere after their win, posing for photos on the field and signing autographs for fans.

"It just shows where we can be as a country in the years to come," Ravens five-eighth Stevi Schnoor said. "Every game we are getting better because we have such a steep learning curve. "

Canada coach Mike Castle said his players were now looking forward to the challenge of playing the Jillaroos on Wednesday.

"I think this is a huge opportunity for us to learn and keep developing," Castle said. "These are some of the most proud athletes I have ever had the opportunity to work with and we will do some recovery, get back on the paddock in the next couple of days and see what we can build on and where we can improve."

In the other matches at Southern Cross Group Stadium on Wednesday, New Zealand will be looking to continue their impressive form heading to the semi-finals when they meet the Orchids, while England will be aiming to bounce back from Sunday's 38-0 loss to Australia when they play Cook Islands.

Kiwi Ferns winger Honey Hireme is the leading try scorer of the tournament after adding a record six-try haul on Sunday to the double she scored against Canada last Thursday, while team-mate Kimiora Nati is the leading point scorer after kicking 10 goals against Cook Islands and seven against the Ravens.

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