Photo courtesy Embassy of Ireland USA
The USA Women’s National Team is currently in Washington, D.C., enjoying send-off events and readying for the next stage of the Women’s Rugby World Cup run-up. The squad is coming off of long camp at the Chula Vista Elite Athlete Training Center (CVEATC) and will continue the gelling process in Ireland. Pool play begins August 9 against Italy.
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It’s interesting to dissect the World Cup squad and track the many ways in which players have advanced to the national team. There are 7s professionals, work-to-play athletes, and also a hybrid of those two lifestyles. There are pathway players, the uncapped, and Eagles who have sought 15s overseas. And with any cycle, there are injured players funneling efforts into rehab as well as a few spots for younger players who might not get a lot of field time but will benefit from the World Cup experience.
Take all of those feeders and the fact that the USA has played only two international tests in a World Cup year, and one sees how important the just-ended long camp was.
“This past month had been invaluable for our team. We’ve been able to come together and grow,” USA fullback Jess Wooden explained. “The back three focused on our defensive connection. If we can get that right, I think we have a great amount of talent [and I’m] looking forward to seeing our subunit perform at the World Cup. We are looking forward to putting all of our hard work to the test in our first match against Italy.”
Wooden during the 2017 Can Am series / Photo: Jackie Finlan
Wooden spent the 15s season in England with the Harlequins (previously Aylesford Bulls) and helped the team to its first English Premiership title. Wooden is the only back who does not have a 7s cap, and Harlequins teammate Kimber Rozier, a former 7s resident, is the anchor at flyhalf, having played in the #10 position last World Cup. During Rozier’s absence, Megan Foster and Kayla Canett played flyhalf during the Can Am series in March.
The 2014 World Cup squad also featured a large number of recent or then-current 7s residents, but the difference was that those players came up through 15s. As Eagle 15s coach Pete Steinberg stated, today’s residents are the best rugby players in the country, but many came right from college 15s or other sports. They’re tremendous, impactful athletes who are still building up their 15s experience.
That said, 15s was integrated into the CVEATC, and much of that had to do with the migration of USA forwards to San Diego beginning in fall 2016. More players began relocating in 2017 as their personal schedules allowed, and the 7s program worked 15s players onto the HSBC World Rugby Women’s Sevens Series. Forwards like Hope Rogers, Sam Pankey, Jordan Gray, Sara Parsons and Kristine Sommer, as well as backs like Sylvia Braaten and Tess Feury earned 7s caps this season. This consolidation also helped soothe the lack of 15s tests scheduled this year.
Rogers at the Sydney 7s / Photo: Mike Lee / KLC fotos for World Rugby
“We have a really good vibe with this team,” USA prop Hope Rogers enthused. “We know we have a lot of work to do, but we believe if we play well we can do big things in Ireland.”
Rogers was also a part of the injury crew working its way back into contention. Not long after her 7s debut, the 15s World Cup vet sustained a knee injury, but she made the long-camp cut, as did Deven Owsiany.
“Camp was really good for me coming off my injury. It allowed me to slowly ease back into things. I’m not 100%. I’ll do full contact over the next week and if all goes well, [I’ll] slowly progress back into games,” Rogers explained. “I understand that I won’t be 100% at this World Cup, but [I’m] hoping to still impact the team in any way I can.”
Owsiany during the 2016 Super Series / Photo: Paul Rudman / KLC fotos
“Being back with the team has been great,” noted Owsiany, who returns some stability to the scrumhalf position. “As much as I wanted to get into cutting and contact months ago, I’m glad I waited, as I’m feeling very healthy and ready for the World Cup to begin.”
Owsiany is the only “true” scrumhalf on the roster now that 20-year-old Annakaren Pedraza has been replaced. The World Cup vet indicated that Penn State rising sophomore Canett had been stepping into the No. 9 position during camp. On the 7s circuit, we’ve seen Nicole Heavirland at scrumhalf, but that position is a totally different animal in 15s.
“We have a pretty young squad going to the World Cup so I think everyone is pretty excited about the entire tour,” Owsiany added.
Ball’s out! Reddick (left) during Can Am series / Photo: Jackie Finlan
That puts the pressure on the veteran leadership. Of the seven Eagles who have competed at a World Cup, Naima Reddick is the only one who has played in 2010 and 2014. The 33-year-old picked up the sport in high school and was selected to the very first USA U19 touring team, which played Wales and a Canadian provincial side in Florida in 2003 (see images below). She graduated to the USA U23s and after her first World Cup, played in New Zealand. She then entrenched herself in club rugby, playing in the Women’s Premier League, Division I and the B.C. Premiership with Seattle. She’s currently a member of the Atavus Academy.
“My 2003 self … she was a trip,” Reddick reminisced. “Nineteen years old, hard headed, and kinda arrogant. I’m still hard headed but hopefully erring more on the side of confident rather than arrogant.”
USA Rugby Magazine, April 2003 / courtesy of Lisa Rosen
One of the lasting impressions of the Can Am series was the USA scrum and how it struggled against Canada. Two-time World Cup Eagle Liz Kirk (’98, ’02) had just joined the staff as a scrum specialist, and the coach also serves as Seattle women’s forwards coach.
“The scrums have really benefited from long camp,” Reddick assured. “Getting in the reps together has been invaluable. Looking forward to trying them out on Italy.”
The Eagles shift into the next phase of preparation, as the team spends the upcoming week acclimating to Ireland and refining its form. So many status questions will be answered on August 9 when the USA opens up the World Cup against Italy – a member of the Women’s Six Nations – and hopefully the bargain of favoring time together versus time playing games will have paid off.
“The single most important piece of advice I can give my teammates is the same thing Mari Wallace told me on my first World Cup,” Reddick concluded. “’It’s a World Cup, ANYTHING can happen. Be ready.’”