Two tries from the pacy Abbie Dow rescued England from the abyss in Auckland and propelled them into the women’s Rugby World Cup final next weekend.
The Red Roses were required to dig deep against a fired-up, physical Canada side but survived the examination to claim their 30th successive Test victory and keep alive their hopes of a first world title since 2014.
Victory, though, was still up in the air deep into the final quarter as Canada’s amateurs momentarily threatened to pull off the upset of the tournament.
When England conceded a third try, scored by replacement Tyson Beukeboom, the margin was a slender 23-19 and it required a 71st minute penalty from Emily Scarratt to settle fluttering English nerves.
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