Canada have braved the elements to take down the Wallaroos 24-0 in their Pacific Four opener in Sacramento.
The game was delayed for close to 70 minutes after severe rain and lightning hit the ground.
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It left both teams waiting and wondering if the game would go ahead, eventually cleared for action without fans in the ground.
When they did get on, Canada showed their class, with their forward pack doing the damage for the shut out win.
"Chaos," interim coach Sam Needs said to sum up the conditions and game. "The weather for both sides caused uncharacteristic mistakes. It was hard to get the ball wide and it was hard to control the ball.
"The result doesn't reflect the effort the girls put in and how we won some really big moments. In the first half, we probably didn't execute as many opportunities as we wanted to. The second half, I think we might have only had one or two, and we didn't execute those so a couple of little moments there, but overall really happy with the way the girls dug in."
The conditions meant chances came at a premium as both teams struggled to handle the ball, as puddles lined the pitch.
The Wallaroos were hunting for their first win over the number two-ranked side in the world and enjoyed dominance over territory in the opening 15 minutes.
But it was Canada’s pack that delivered the opener as Julia Omokhuale crashed over the line from short after a powerful rolling maul.
Desiree Miller nearly had an answer after the winger trapped an attempted grubber and raced 60 metres, only to be dragged down short of the line.
Canada would take a 12-0 lead into the break as they broke down the Australian defence, crossing through back-rower Pamphinette Buisa.
Their dominance only extended into the second half, as the Australians were forced to defend for most of the 40 minutes.
They found success stopping their rolling maul and held their own before cracking in the 66th minute. Winger Asia Hogan-Rochester capitalised on space on the edge to edge Canada further in front.
The Wallaroos’ ill-discipline hurt them towards the end of the game, finishing with just 13 on the field.
Brittany Merlo paid the price after multiple warnings across the game, with Sam Needs’ side conceding 17 penalties and several further advantages. Cecilia Smith followed her off for a high shot, with Kiki Idowu capping off the win with a five-pointer with six minutes to go.
Australia turns their attention to the hosts, the USA, next Saturday (AEST) in Kansas City, who were defeated 48-15 by New Zealand.
"It's us being better than the last version of ourselves that we played against them, as you can see with the scoreboard, there's a huge shift from that last quarterfinal game back in the World Cup," captain Siokapesi Palu Sekona added.
"We know the USA are going to bring in. We had a bit of a sneak peek watching their game against New Zealand and they're definitely going to bring it, but it's going to test how honest we are to our defence next week
Canada 24 (Idowu, Hogan-Rochester, Buisa, Omokhuale tries; Gallagher 2 cons) defeated Wallaroos 0
