U.S. Girls & Women's Rugby News • EST 2016

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40 Report to USA 15s ID Camp

  • 23 Jan 2025
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USA Rugby photo

USA RUGBY — Head Coach Sione Fukofuka and the USA Women’s Eagles staff arrived in Chula Vista this week, inviting 40 U.S.-based prospects from the extended player pool to the Elite Athlete Training Center for an early-season identification camp. [lead photo c/o USA Rugby]

With a mix of capped USA Eagles, college standouts and Women’s Elite Rugby (WER) prospects all assembling for the six-day training environment, this camp signifies the official start to 2025 for the Women’s Eagles, supporting squad selections for this year’s test match schedule and Rugby World Cup.

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Curriculum across the six days will consist of combine-like programs, giving Fukofuka and the coaching staff a marker on fitness and proficiencies within the US-based player pool. Coaches will run a series of fitness tests, game models and a final-day scrimmage to evaluate the aforementioned, along with off-pitch meetings to continue development of the broader squad.

USA v Ireland

Cheta Emba / Photo: Rich Lam – World Rugby/World Rugby via Getty Images

“2025 is an exciting year for the Women’s National Team, with the Pacific Four Series and Rugby World Cup on the horizon,” Fukofuka said. “The camp in Chula Vista allows us to launch our 2025 campaign with a combination of High Performance squad members, wider training squad members, and pathway players from the U20s and U23s. As a coaching staff we are looking at the physical capacity of the players through our testing protocols, their core skills, and decision-making through closed and open activities. Lastly we’ll hold a ‘possibles vs. probables’ game to close out the camp.

“This assembly provides valuable performance data that the coaching staff will use to depth chart the players and compare across the player pool,” he added. “We have the opportunity to spend time with some of our younger players across the pathway, in addition to players identified across the latter part of 2024 who may feature in the USA senior team over the next 12 months.”

TRB NOTES … The camp roster includes seven WER Foundational Five players (*) and also previews some player moves ahead of teams’ full roster announcements. Sam Brackett and Kayla Lawson, for example, look like they’re leaving SoCal for Twin Cities. • Loving the youth amongst the back rows. They’re in or graduates of DI NCAA programs — except Emma Cantrell, who’s from Charlotte, N.C., and played her undergrad rugby at Cardiff Met in Wales. • And finally, also note the three USA 7s stars in the backs. Heavirland and Fa’avesi are still active (the team is currently in Perth, Australia), and Cheta Emba left the program after the Olympics.

USA Women’s Eagles January ID Camp Roster

PROP
Mikaela Hall — Queens Univ. Charlotte
Maya Learned — Colorado
Jordynn LeBeau — Dartmouth College
Caitlin Weigel — New York
Olivia Woods — Sacred Heart Univ.
Reece Woods — Sacred Heart Univ.

HOOKER
Sam Brackett — Twin Cities
Hope Cooper — Bay Area
Nafi Fitisemanu — Harvard Univ.
Saher Hamdan — Colorado

LOCK
Emerson Allen — Twin Cities*
Evelyn Ashenbrucker — San Diego Surfers
Rachel Ehrecke — Colorado*
Marisa Hall — Twin Cities*
Jenny Kronish — Boston

Brown rugby

Nikki Lynch / Photo: Pat Moroney

BACK ROW
Kapoina Bailey — Colorado
Emma Cantrell — Colorado
Carson Hann — Colorado
Malia Isaacs — Boston
Nikki Lynch — Brown Univ.
Freda Tafuna — Lindenwood Univ.
Cindy Taulava — Dartmouth College

SCRUMHALF
Cassidy Bargell — Boston*
Sadie Schier — Dartmouth College
Taina Tukuafu — Bay Area

FLYHALF
Kristin Bitter — Colorado (WER)
McKenzie Hawkins — Colorado (WER)
Nicole Heavirland — USA Sevens
Joanna “Nana” Fa’avesi — USA Sevens

CENTER
Amy Brice — Lindenwood Univ.
Jenni Laferriere — Boston (WER)
Jade McGrath — Bay Area (WER)*
Tiahna Padilla — Harvard Univ.

WING
Erica Coulibaly — Colorado*
Cheta Emba — Unattached
Kayla Lawson — Twin Cities
Katie Lohaus — Boston

FULLBACK
Aly Cunningham — Sacred Heart Univ.
Jetta Owens — New York*

USA Women’s Eagles January ID Staff

Head Coach | Sione Fukofuka
Assistant Coach | Kittery Wagner Ruiz
Assistant Coach | Sarah Chobot
Assistant Coach | Katie Dowty
Athletic Performance Coach | Charles Dudley
Assistant Performance Coach | Eduard Van Rooyen
Analyst | Caitlin Singletary
Lead Athletic Trainer | Emily Lauer
Sports Physical Therapist | Natalie Frizzell
Team Manager | Lindsay Wilson

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The Rugby Breakdown (TRB) covers girls and women's rugby in the U.S. JACKIE FINLAN is the sole employee creating content and the paid subscription base supports this full-time enterprise. For $5/month (or $60/year), subscribers access features covering the USA Eagles, senior clubs, colleges, high schools, and everything in between. TRB prides itself on original, interview-based articles that showcase the people driving this great sport in the U.S.

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