GUILDFORD — Olympic bobsled champion Heather Moyse and Cheryl Phillips scored two tries apiece to give Canada a 41-0 win over Scotland at the Women’s Rugby World Cup on Wednesday.
Moyse, a 32-year-old winger from Summerside, P.E.I., has six tries in four games, tied with New Zealand’s Carla Hohepa for the tournament lead. Moyse, who won Olympic gold earlier this year in Whistler, topped the 2006 competition with seven tries.
Ashley MacDonald of Corran Ban, P.E.I., is also a member of the Canadian squad.
The fourth-seeded Canadian women (3-1) will play the fifth-seeded Americans (2-2) in their final match Sunday to decide who finishes fifth at the 12-team tournament.
The Americans defeated No. 8 Ireland 40-3.
The Canadian women have played the U.S. four times already this year, with Canada leading the series 3-1.
Three-time defending champion New Zealand will take on England in Sunday’s final.
The Black Ferns defeated No. 3 France 45-7 while second-seeded England downed No. 7 Australia 15-0 in semifinal play Wednesday.
Canada could win four of five matches at the tournament and still finish fifth. Still the win over Scotland helped ease the team mood and the players headed out after the game for a meal with friends and family.
The final placement is important for Canada since it determines rankings at the next World Cup.
The Canadians finished fourth the last three tournaments and had hoped for better but missed out on the semifinals after losing 23-8 to France on Saturday.
Any hopes of making the final four were eliminated when Australia hammered South Africa 62-0 to surpass the 56-point margin needed to grab the final semifinal berth.
Ninth-seeded Scotland went 1-2 in pool play, losing 37-10 to Canada in the tournament opener.
Mario Gallo and Mandy Marchak also scored tries for Canada on Wednesday. Anna Schnell kicked four conversions and a penalty.
Canada led 19-0 at the half.
“There was a lot of character in there,” said Canadian coach John Long.
England plays Australia in one semifinal, with three-time defending champion New Zealand taking on France in the other semifinal.
