Megan Pakulis is shown in action for the Canada Ravens against England in Wigan, England in this Nov. 5, 2022 handout photo at the Women's Rugby League World Cup. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout — Touchlinepics — Stephen Gaunt (Mandatory Credit)

BRAMPTON — Candace Scholten scored two tries as the Canada Ravens reeled off 30 second-half points to defeat Ireland 36-6 Sunday and finish third at a four-team Women's Rugby League World Cup qualifier.

No. 16 Fiji secured the eighth and last berth at the 2026 World Cup in Australia and Papua New Guinea by hammering No. 17 Nigeria 62-4 later Sunday in the championship game of the International Rugby League (IRL) Women's Rugby League World Series.

Fiji blanked No. 10 Canada 48-0 while Nigeria downed No. 8 Ireland 10-0 in semifinal play Tuesday at Terry Fox Stadium.

No. 1 Australia, No. 2 New Zealand, No. 3 England, No. 4 France, No. 5 Papua New Guinea, No. 6 Wales and No. 12 Samoa have already qualified for next year's World Cup, which also features the men. (The IRL rankings are spotty lower down because teams like Canada rarely get to play international tests).

The Ravens advanced to the four-team qualifier by beating the 11th-ranked U.S. Hawks 40-8 in the final of the Americas Women’s Championship last November in Jacksonville, Fla.

The Canadian women made the 2017 and 2021 World Cups, but the qualifying process was more arduous this time.

Rugby league is the lesser-known rugby code, played 13-a-side instead of rugby union's 15-a-side. It's a physical game with powerful forwards and elusive backs, each offering their own kind of threat.

Megan Pakulis, Eleta Mitton, Lauren Mueller and Grace Campbell also scored tries for Canada. Caitlin Sears and Maddy Aberg combined for six conversions.

Tricia Doyle had Ireland's lone try with Storm Cobain booting a conversion.

Tied 6-6 after an error-filled first half, Canada went ahead 12-6 early in the second, taking advantage of a turnover deep in the Ireland end after two Irish players collided trying to field a kick. Mitton scored on the ensuing Canadian set.

Scholten then broke three Irish tackles on a fine solo run up the middle for an 18-6 Canada lead before Mueller sprinted 40 metres down the sideline after an Irish turnover midway to make it 24-6 through the half.

Canada kept coming with tries from Campbell and Scholten.

Both teams threatened early in the game, only to see drives end in handling errors. But Canada went ahead 6-0 in the ninth minute with Pakulis breaking a tackle to score, capping off a set that featured a sparkling linebreak by fullback Petra Woods.

Ireland had several sets deep in Canada territory after Ravens miscues but the Canadian defence held on the first and Ireland fumbled the ball away on the second.

Ireland missed a penalty kick midway through the first half after Canada was penalized for a tip tackle. A string of Canada mistakes and penalties halted the home team's progress with the Irish finally taking advantage late in the half, pulling even at 6-6 after Doyle touched down a grubber kick.

Canada's coach Matt Barron made one change to his starting lineup with Bethany Hofstetter making her debut. Mitton moved to the interchange bench while Rebecca Kochuk dropped out of the matchday squad after taking a knock in her debut against Fiji.

A Fijian side boasting eight players from Australia's elite National Rugby League Women's Premiership (NRLW) proved to be too strong in the semifinal for Canada, whose lone NRLW player was Pakulis. Six of Fiji's 10 tries came after the 58-minute mark, with four in the last 10 minutes.

The Ravens will start the next qualifying cycle late next year with the Americas Championship. The 2028 World Cup will be a stand-alone women's tournament. Barron plans to establish an "elite training squad" ahead of a possible European tour in July to play Scotland and Wales.

The Canadian lineup includes several professional players.

Pakulis is coming off a season with the NRLW's Gold Coast Titans, while Mueller and Channy Crowl play in England for the London Broncos and St. Helens, respectively. Sears and Rachel Choboter play for club teams in New Zealand.

Suiting up for the Ravens remains a pay-to-play scenario, however, with the players looking after their own travel costs for the Brampton tournament.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 26, 2025

News from © The Canadian Press, 2025