Canada women score historic win over Papua New Guinea at Rugby League World Cup
SYDNEY, Australia — Natasha Smith scored three tries Sunday as Canada made history by defeating Papua New Guinea 22-8 for its first ever win at the Rugby League World Cup.
In their international debut Thursday, the Canada Ravens were thumped 50-4 by three-time champion New Zealand.
“I’m extremely proud of the team,” said Canada coach Mike Castle. “They stuck to our game plan, and you could clearly see everything we’ve been working on at training since the New Zealand game being actioned.
“As the game went on, you could certainly see everyone’s confidence build. PNG were very physical, but we kept our cool and played our game.”