Zackary @ the 2017 USA 7s / Photo: Dave Stephenson / Numina Photos
The USA Falcons finished 3-3 overall to finish sixth at the Okinawa 7s. Day two started with a 29-17 Cup quarterfinal loss to Australia, followed by a 26-5 Plate semifinal win over Fiji, and then a 19-15 loss to Japan in the fifth-place final.
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CUP QUARTERFINAL
AUSTRALIA 29-17 USA FALCONS
Tries: Stockert, Kosko, penalty try
Day two started with a Cup quarterfinal against Australia, and the Falcons looked like the first to score. Natalie Kosko pushed Australia into touch for the turnover, and Kelsi Stockert broke through the defense with a nice in-and-out move. The ball moved to Hope Rogers who got to the five meter, but a not-releasing penalty ended that opportunity. A grubber, knock-on and overcommitted defense allowed Australia to bank a pull-away try, 7-0.
The Falcons answered in turn and put back-to-back scores on the board for a 10-7 lead. Stockert went 50 meters for five points. On the restart, Kosko did a great job of keeping the ball in play along the sideline, and then fended her opposite for a try in the corner.
The restart didn’t go 10 meters, and Australia went 2-3 phases before taking advantage of a speed mismatch along the sideline, 12-10 to Australia into the break.
The Falcons started the second half solidly, but a penalty and quick tear around the corner gave Australia the first of its three second-half tries. The following score came after some scrambling play in the Falcons’ end. Another curious kick through traffic found Australian hands and moved wide for the score.
The restart went long and the Falcons took the ball from the 50 to the 22 meter before a penalty halted play. Australia dummied past the defense into unguarded territory, and then Kosko, with her long stride, closed the distance quickly for the tackle. She got back on her feet for the second tackle, but all of the support players were wearing green jerseys, and a converted try followed, 29-10.
With the game already decided, the Falcons mounted one last campaign into Australia’s end, as Alena Olsen got past the line and then smartly adjusted her route once she knew she wasn’t going to make it to the try line untouched. She waited for support instead of getting isolated and an Aussie penalty soon followed. Ashlee Byrge tapped through the mark and sent a grubber to the try line. In the pursuit, an Australian player pushed the ball through the try zone and a penalty try resulted, 29-17.
PLATE SEMIFINAL
USA FALCONS 26-5 FIJI
Tries: Byrge, Kosko 2, Rogers
Cons: Byrge 2, Olsen
Heavy rain marked this match, but the Falcons adjusted well for two tries in each half. But it was pressure defense that helped produce the opening score, as Fiji was forced to ground the ball in its own try zone. Byrge darted from the back of the subsequent five-meter scrum and converted her own try, 7-0.
Fiji got on the board after some nice interplay that eventually overworked the USA defense. Keep in mind that the Falcons have been playing with 10 players, having traveled with 11 and losing Neariah Persinger to an injury on day one. The centered try was not converted, 7-5.
Fiji was attacking as the halftime whistle neared, but a pass hit the ground and ended in Kosko’s hands for a pullaway try that Byrge converted, 14-5.
The Falcons pieced together an impressive amount of passing phases to work downfield in the downpour, and the reward came in Fiji’s 22, when Kosko cut inside her opposite for the centered try, converted by Olsen, 21-5. Hope Rogers scored the final try, mowing down defenders from close range. But the opportunity arose after Sarah Buonopane, head down and legs driving, sucked in three Fijian defenders before going to ground, 26-5 the final.
PLATE FINAL
JAPAN 19-15 USA FALCONS
Tries: Kosko, Zackary 2
The USA Falcons and Japan began and ended their Okinawa 7s outings against each other, and in both occasions, the Americans scored at the death. The difference in the rematch, however, was the final try didn’t result in a win.
Japan experienced first heartbreak when a sustained attacking series ended in a turnover deep in the Americans’ half. Byrge’s kick was blunted in the tackle, but the Falcons scooped up possession. Kosko’s long reach reined in a sideline pass and the team’s leading try-scorer went the distance for a 5-0 lead.
Japan responded immediately with a converted try and then extended its halftime lead to 12-5. The second try evolved from a scrum on the USA 22 meter, as Japan wrapped around for a break inside the 10 meter. The defense came through with a handful of tackles before Japan won a one-on-one contest for the try.
The Falcons kicked off the second half with a well worked try that went through the entire team’s hands. When Japan’s defense got over-eager, the Falcons put each other into space, and a final pass from Byrge back inside to Zackary produced a try, 12-10.
The deciding try came next, as the USA restart did not go 10 meters and Japan took advantage of the opportunity with a centered try, 19-10. There wasn’t enough time for two more scores, but Rogers and Stockert went to work anyway, powering down the pitch and dragging defenders with them. A Falcons knock-on gave Japan the ball inside its 22 meter, but a dropped pass in front of the posts moved to Zackary for the try, 19-15 the final.
POST-SCRIPT
The USA Falcons’ trip to Okinawa marks the developmental team’s second outing of 2018. USA Rugby has not released any LVI plans for the USA Women’s 7s team or the Falcons; however, Australian news outlets have unveiled a five-game series against the USA taking place in Las Vegas. Additionally, some USA pool players have been popping up on LVI teams – like Natalie Kosko and Sarah Buonopane with the Northeast Academy, and Ashlee Byrge and Dani McDonald with the Santa Barbara Academy – so hopefully more players will be able to take advantage of the local fixture.
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