Canada knocks out New Zealand to reach Women's Rugby World Cup final

The Women's Rugby World Cup will have a new queen.

New Zealand's eight-year reign as world champion was terminated by Canada in a stunning 34-19 semifinal victory in Bristol on Friday.

Canada flew to a shocking 24-7 lead by halftime, added a fifth try by captain Alex Tessier straight after the break then held on to reach only its second World Cup final.

“I said to the girls to stop crying because we have a job to do in eight days,” Canada coach Kevin Rouet said. “That's the mindset. We need to finish the job. I am excited for next weekend. I want it to be next weekend now."

Canada lost its only other final in 2014 to England.

England plays France in the other semifinal on Saturday in Bristol.

Canada's victory was not a surprise. It won and drew its last two matchups with New Zealand after 17 straight defeats. What did surprise was how much Canada dominated the Black Ferns.

The forwards, especially totemic lock Sophie de Goede, stymied New Zealand up front and the backs, led by scrumhalf Justine Pelletier, outsmarted their opposites.

Their first World Cup win over six-time champion New Zealand was also only the third time the Black Ferns have lost in tournament history. The Black Ferns suffered their first World Cup loss in 11 years and their first loss in a knockout match in 34 years.

“Canada were impressive,” New Zealand coach Allan Bunting said. "Canada were accurate and we weren't, and that's the difference."

Two errors by New Zealand fullback Renee Holmes and two pieces of skill by flyhalf Taylor Perry led to Canada's 12-0 dream start in as many minutes.

Holmes' kick out on the full led to Perry's chaos-causing chip and Pelletier's converted try, then Perry's over-the-top pass found left wing Asia Hogan-Rochester, who palmed off Holmes to score.

Canada's forwards took charge and 14 phases narrowed the Black Ferns defense for Tessier who, just before she was cut in half, sent in midfield partner Florence Symonds and extended their lead to 17-0.

New Zealand hit back after Stacey Waaka caught the restart. Prop Tanya Kalounivale barged over but New Zealand's rushed errors kept giving back Canada turf and ball.

And five minutes from the break, de Goede's intuitive connection with Pelletier paid off again when she took a round-the-corner offload and streaked in between the posts. The lock converted her own try — she was four of six off the tee — and Canada was flying.

New Zealand came in with a tournament-leading 93% successful tackle rate but missed 18 tackles in the first half.

Right from the restart, prop DaLeaka Menin stripped New Zealand of the ball and Tessier ended up stepping off her right foot and crossing untouched for another converted try.

New Zealand rallied with scores by flanker Liana Mikaele-Tu'u and teenage wing Braxton Sorensen-McGee — her ninth try in her maiden World Cup — but the pressure to catch up played into Canada's hands.

Canada's defense was happy to concede penalties to corral New Zealand.

De Goede added a final penalty kick to wrap up one of Canada's greatest victories.

“Huge relief and excitement and pride after that,” De Goede said. “We knew it was going to take an incredible performance to beat them and I am just really proud we were able to put that out on the field and keep control in that game.”

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Canada's team players celebrate after scoring their first try during the Women's Rugby World Cup 2025 semifinal match between New Zealand and Canada in Bristol, England, Friday, Sept. 19, 2025.(AP Photo/Anthony Upton)

New Zealand's Layla Sae, centre bottom, and Portia Woodman-Wickliffe, left, challenge for the ball with Canada's Laetitia Royer, centre, during the Women's Rugby World Cup 2025 semifinal match between New Zealand and Canada in Bristol, England, Friday, Sept. 19, 2025.(AP Photo/Anthony Upton)

Canada's team members celebrate as they won the Women's Rugby World Cup 2025 semifinal match between New Zealand and Canada in Bristol, England, Friday, Sept. 19, 2025.(AP Photo/Anthony Upton)

Canada's Sophie de Goede controls the ball the Women's Rugby World Cup 2025 semifinal match between New Zealand and Canada in Bristol, England, Friday, Sept. 19, 2025.(AP Photo/Anthony Upton)

Canada's team players celebrate after winning the Women's Rugby World Cup 2025 semifinal match between New Zealand and Canada in Bristol, England, Friday, Sept. 19, 2025.(AP Photo/Anthony Upton)

Canada's Karen Paquin, left, and New Zealand's Kennedy Tukuafu challenge for the ball during the Women's Rugby World Cup 2025 semifinal match between New Zealand and Canada in Bristol, England, Friday, Sept. 19, 2025.(AP Photo/Anthony Upton)

HAVANA (AP) — Katia Arias buzzed with hope on Friday morning as she gathered at the gates of a prison on the outskirts of Havana, waiting with other families for their loved ones to be freed in one of the biggest prison releases by the Cuban government in years.

When her 20-year-old son Emilio Alejandro Leyva walked out of the doors of the detention facility with dozens of other prisoners, bags and a small release document in hand, she wrapped her arms around her son, who was detained for a robbery, for the first time in years.

“It has been so difficult, but today God has given me so much joy,” said Arias, 43, breaking down in tears. “Today, I feel so happy. This is how all mothers who will have their children released today should feel.”

The outpouring of joy from families comes the day after Cuba's government said it was going to release 2,010 prisoners in what it said was “humanitarian gestures” ahead of Holy Week; it wasn't immediately clear how many were released on Friday.

The release comes as the Cuban government navigates extreme pressure and a crippling oil blockade by the Trump administration, which has openly expressed the desire for regime change and the release of those arrested for protesting.

It was unclear whether any of the prisoners released Friday are among the 1,214 people activist groups say are imprisoned for political reasons in Cuba. The government denies holding political prisoners.

On Friday, detainees in the La Lima prison on the rural outskirts of Havana said they were woken up at 6 a.m. and heard their names called out. Hours later they were walking into the arms of loved ones awaiting them in front of blue prison gates.

The majority of prisoners interviewed Friday by The Associated Press were not serving time for political charges, though it's uncertain how many of those released were protesters — often charged with public disorder, contempt or terrorism. Many of the more than one thousand people the activist organization Prisoners Defended has registered as detained for political reasons were protesters from the 2021 mass demonstrations on the island, which were met with widespread arrests by the government.

Sporadic protests have broken out in recent months as the island sinks into a deeper crisis. In one March incident, protesters burned the headquarters of the communist party in central Cuba, leading to five arrests.

The lack of information over releases on Friday fueled frustration among human rights and opposition groups, who said the releases were a good sign, but fell short of real change.

“The government presents it as a humanitarian gesture toward prisoners, not as the release of political prisoners,” said Manuel Cuesta Morúa, leader of the Council for Democratic Transition in Cuba, the island’s main opposition platform. “By doing so, it mixes things up to avoid giving the impression that it recognizes political imprisonment in Cuba.”

The group has demanded a government amnesty law and says that people who were previously freed are often placed under house arrest or live under conditions where they can't speak freely.

During a previous release of 51 people in March, organizations monitoring prisons in Cuba noted that 22 had political motives in their cases.

The nongovernmental organization Justicia 11J wrote in a statement Friday that no partial release can be considered progress “as long as the criminalization of the exercise of fundamental rights persists.”

“Although every release represents immediate relief, especially for families, in a context marked by the severity of conditions in the country’s prisons … we warn that this gesture does not constitute a change in the repressive policy of the Cuban state,” the organization said.

The releases come as U.S.-Cuban tensions are running high. The Trump administration has suffocated the island by imposing an oil blockade, pushing the already stricken island to the brink, crippling hospitals and increasing the number of islandwide blackouts.

Cubans were offered a brief moment of relief this week when U.S. President Donald Trump said the government allowed a Russian ship carrying a nine to 10 day supply of fuel to the island. It wasn't clear if the Cuban or Russian governments made any concessions to allow the shipment to go through. A second Russian tanker is on the way.

Cuba periodically frees prisoners at key moments.

In January 2025, Cuba’s government released 553 prisoners as part of talks with the Vatican, a day after the Biden administration announced its intent to lift the U.S. designation of the island nation as a state sponsor of terrorism.

Cuba's government said Friday's release marked the fifth since 2011, and that it has freed more than 11,000 people.

Despite ongoing uncertainty, scenes of hope emerged outside the La Lima prison on Friday as families wrapped their arms around each other and a father planted a kiss on the head of his child swaddled in pink.

Damián Fariñas, 20, who has served the majority of his 2-year prison sentence for a robbery, was greeted by three beaming friends waiting for him on the street.

“This is freedom, a pardon, owing nothing to anyone. I’m heading out into the world,” he said.

Associated Press journalists Ramón Espinosa and Ariel Fernández contributed from Havana. Megan Janetsky contributed from Mexico City.

Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america

A pardoned prisoner kisses his daughter after leaving La Lima penitentiary in Guanabo, Cuba, Friday, April 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)

Emilio Alejandro Leyva, a pardoned prisoner, right, hugs his mother Katia Arias Mendoza after his release from La Lima penitentiary in Guanabo, Cuba, Friday, April 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)

Pardoned prisoners sit in a taxi to return home after leaving La Lima penitentiary in Guanabo, Cuba, Friday, April 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)

A pardoned prisoner hugs a family member after being released from La Lima penitentiary in Guanabo, Cuba, Friday, April 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)

Damian Farinas, right, walks out of La Lima penitentiary alongside other pardoned prisoners after their release in Guanabo, Cuba, Friday, April 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)