New Zealand and Canada set up Women's Rugby World Cup semifinal

Canada tore apart Australia 46-5 in Bristol and set up a semifinal against defending champion New Zealand at the Women’s Rugby World Cup on Saturday.

New Zealand absorbed its most physical test yet and still overran first-time quarterfinalist South Africa 46-17 in Exeter.

The world's No. 2 and No. 3-ranked sides will meet next Friday night in Bristol for the first time in a World Cup playoff.

“You can't be overconfident but for sure we are confident,” Canada coach Kevin Rouet said.

The other semifinalists will be found on Sunday when title favorite England plays Scotland and France meets Ireland.

Canada beat the Black Ferns for the first time last year and they drew 27-27 in May.

“(This match) is going to be a lot of fun, just like it was the time before, and the time before that,” Canada wing Asia Hogan-Rochester said.

South Africa made no secret of its muscular game plan — it was coming hard and direct. By halftime it was an impressive 10-10 with the six-time world champion Black Ferns, who haven't lost a knockout match in 27 years.

But New Zealand showed its class in the new half; scoring within 37 seconds and rolling home with ultimately a convincing victory by eight tries to three.

“They threw in some awesome innovation and put us under some pressure,” Black Ferns coach Allan Bunting said, “but that’s a good thing for us at this point in the tournament.”

New Zealand's kick chase, crisp handling and turnover skills overwhelmed the bruising Springbok Women.

No. 8 Kaipo Olsen-Baker was the player of the match, three weeks after she thought her tournament was over as she was carried from the field with a bad ankle injury, and Braxton Sorensen-McGee, the Black Ferns' youngest player at 18, extended her tournament lead in tries (eight) and points (52).

The first half was the South Africans’ best half in their history. They destroyed New Zealand in the first scrum and showed off a 15-women lineout drive. But it took 20 minutes of huffing and puffing to blow down the New Zealanders' door through prop Babalwa Latsha, the former captain who played professionally in Spain and England.

That inability to be more clinical was exposed when New Zealand struck twice quickly.

Scrumhalf Maia Joseph's chargedown led to a try by Theresa Setefano, then a kick chase forced a five-meter scrum and Sorensen-McGee finished a three-on-two untouched.

Just before halftime, South Africa showed novelty again. Scrumhalf Nadine Roos made the catch in a 13-women lineout 30 meters out, then they carried for 16 phases for inside center Aphiwe Ngwevu to crash through and tie the score.

“Every time you raise the bar they can go higher,” Bok coach Swys de Bruin said. “It's amazing what they can do. In 2022 we couldn't win a (World Cup) game. Now we get a chance in a quarterfinal and score three tries. A giant has awoken for women in South African rugby.”

Libbie Janse van Rensburg walked off with a thumb up but the promise of a second forward pack of bruisers from a 7-1 bench was blunted by New Zealand's tougher defense and ritzy backs.

Stacey Waaka regained the kickoff and fullback Renee Holmes raced over in the first minute. From there New Zealand put on a show, scoring the next three tries from its 22.

Turnovers by lock Maiakawanakaulani Roos led to second tries by Sorensen-McGee and Holmes, and Olsen-Baker got a double. The last try was by Katelyn Vaha'akolo, playing after a tournament-ending injury to South Africa-born Amy du Plessis.

Bok replacement back Lerato Makua scored their third try and 40-year-old captain Nolusindiso Booi greeted the final whistle and the end of her 15-year career with tears and joy.

“(This quarterfinal) was something we had never tasted,” Booi said. “The taste was good.”

Despite touching down only twice in the second half, Canada achieved its record score against the Wallaroos and stayed unbeaten against the same side. It is into the semifinals for a sixth time.

After halftime, Canada's scoring was slowed down by a deluge and Australian pride.

But until the break, Canada was rampant in posting five tries and having two others disallowed.

Australia couldn't handle the speed and handling of the Canadians, who scored in the second minute. A Julia Schell break was capped by Hogan-Rochester.

Australia made a nice riposte for Desiree Miller's sixth try of the tournament but seemed to spend the rest of the half chasing red jerseys.

Lock Sophie de Goede got her second player of the match award, scoring one try and having a big hand in three others. Winger Alysha Corrigan scored twice and in a third straight World Cup match, along with prop McKinley Hunt.

In the rain after halftime, No. 8 Fabiola Forteza scored from a stolen throw-in by de Goede. They didn’t score another try until near time but it was worth waiting for: 38-year-old high school coach Karen Paquin crashed through the line from 40 meters out and glided to the line.

AP rugby: https://apnews.com/hub/rugby

Canada's Karen Paquin, right, breaks away to score a try during the Women's Rugby World Cup 2025 quarterfinal match between Canada and Australia, in Bristol, England, Saturday, Sept. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Anthony Upton)

Canada's Olivia Apps is tackled by Australia's Caitlyn Halse during the Women's Rugby World Cup quarterfinal match, Saturday, Sept. 13, 2025, at Ashton Gate, Bristol, England. (Andrew Matthews/PA via AP)

Canada's celebrates a try during the Women's Rugby World Cup 2025 quarterfinal match between Canada and Australia, in Bristol, England, Saturday, Sept. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Anthony Upton)

South Africa's Aphiwe Ngwevu, centre, tackled by New Zealand's Alana Bremner, bottom, and teammate Jorja Miller during the Women's Rugby World Cup 2025 quarterfinal match between New Zealand and South Africa, in Exeter, England, Saturday, Sept. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

New Zealand's Renee Holmes scores her side's third try of the game during the Women's Rugby World Cup 2025 quarterfinal match between New Zealand and South Africa, in Exeter, England, Saturday, Sept. 13, 2025. (Ben Birchall/PA via AP)

New Zealand's Braxton Sorensen-McGee, right, scores a try as South Africa's Nadine Roos, center, tries to defend during the Women's Rugby World Cup 2025 quarterfinal match between New Zealand and South Africa, in Exeter, England, Saturday, Sept. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

New Zealand's Kaipo Olsen-Baker scores their side's fifth try of the game during the Women's Rugby World Cup 2025 quarter-final match at Sandy Park, Exeter, England, Saturday Sept. 13, 2025. (Ben Birchall/PA via AP)

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — A South Korean court sentenced former President Yoon Suk Yeol to five years in prison Friday in the first verdict from eight criminal trials over the martial law debacle that forced him out of office and other allegations.

Yoon was impeached, arrested and dismissed as president after his short-lived imposition of martial law in December 2024 triggered huge public protests calling for his ouster.

The most significant criminal charge against him alleges that his martial law enforcement amounted to a rebellion, and the independent counsel has requested the death sentence in the case that is to be decided in a ruling next month.

Yoon has maintained he didn’t intend to place the country under military rule for an extended period, saying his decree was only meant to inform the people about the danger of the liberal-controlled parliament obstructing his agenda. But investigators have viewed Yoon’s decree as an attempt to bolster and prolong his rule, charging him with rebellion, abuse of power and other criminal offenses.

In Friday’s case, the Seoul Central District Court sentenced Yoon for defying attempts to detain him, fabricating the martial law proclamation, and sidestepping a legally mandated full Cabinet meeting and thus depriving some Cabinet members who were not convened of their due rights to deliberate on his decree.

Judge Baek Dae-hyun said in the televised ruling that imposing “a grave punishment” was necessary because Yoon hasn’t shown remorse and has only repeated “hard-to-comprehend excuses.” The judge also restoring legal systems damaged by Yoon’s action was necessary.

Yoon’s defense team said they will appeal the ruling, which they believe was “politicized” and reflected “the unliberal arguments by the independent counsel.” Yoon’s defense team argued the ruling “oversimplified the boundary between the exercise of the president’s constitutional powers and criminal liability.”

Prison sentences in the multiple, smaller trials Yoon faces would matter if he is spared the death penalty or life imprisonment at the rebellion trial.

Park SungBae, a lawyer who specializes in criminal law, said there is little chance the court would decide Yoon should face the death penalty in the rebellion case. He said the court will likely issue a life sentence or a sentence of 30 years or more in prison.

South Korea has maintained a de facto moratorium on executions since 1997 and courts rarely hand down death sentences. Park said the court would take into account that Yoon’s decree didn’t cause casualties and didn’t last long, although Yoon hasn’t shown genuine remorse for his action.

South Korea has a history of pardoning former presidents who were jailed over diverse crimes in the name of promoting national unity. Those pardoned include strongman Chun Doo-hwan, who received the death penalty at a district court over his 1979 coup, the bloody 1980 crackdowns of pro-democracy protests that killed about 200 people, and other crimes.

Some observers say Yoon will likely retain a defiant attitude in the ongoing trials to maintain his support base in the belief that he cannot avoid a lengthy sentence but could be pardoned in the future.

On the night of Dec. 3, 2024, Yoon abruptly declared martial law in a televised speech, saying he would eliminate “anti-state forces” and protect “the constitutional democratic order.” Yoon sent troops and police officers to encircle the National Assembly, but many apparently didn’t aggressively cordon off the area, allowing enough lawmakers to get into an assembly hall to vote down Yoon’s decree.

No major violence occurred, but Yoon's stunt caused the biggest political crisis in South Korea and rattled its diplomacy and financial markets. For many, his decree, the first of its kind in more than four decades in South Korea, brought back harrowing memories of past dictatorships in the 1970s and 1980s, when military-backed leaders used martial law and emergency measures to deploy soldiers and tanks on the streets to suppress demonstrations.

After Yoon's ouster, his liberal rival Lee Jae Myung became president via a snap election last June. After taking office, Lee appointed three independent counsels to look into allegations involving Yoon, his wife and associates.

Yoon's other trials deal with charges like ordering drone flights over North Korea to deliberately inflame animosities to look for a pretext to declare martial law. Other charges accuse Yoon of manipulating the investigation into a marine’s drowning in 2023 and receiving free opinion surveys from an election broker in return for a political favor.

A supporter of former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol shouts slogans outside Seoul Central District Court, in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

Supporters of former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol hold signs and flags outside Seoul Central District Court, in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

A supporter of former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol waits for a bus carrying former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol outside Seoul Central District Court, in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

Supporters of former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol hold signs as police officers stand guard outside Seoul Central District Court, in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

Supporters of former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol hold signs and flags outside Seoul Central District Court, in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

Supporters of former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol hold signs outside Seoul Central District Court, in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

A picture of former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol is placed on a board as supporters gather outside Seoul Central District Court, in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)