Owsiany in the tackle / Photo: INPHO/Brian Keane for World Rugby
The USA Women’s National Team came into the 2017 Women’s Rugby World Cup knowing that it had to hit the ground running in Ireland. Every phase was going to be a difficult one, especially with the pressures of a 12-team, 18-day tournament. But the first goal – win the World Cup opener with a bonus point – has been achieved, and the squad has concrete objectives to chase as it builds throughout the event.
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“Our goal was to play with pace and apply line speed on defense,” USA Women’s National Team coach Pete Steinberg explained Wednesday’s objectives. “We wanted solid set piece, and we wanted to get the ball into our outside backs’ hands quickly. I think we did that in moments and did well in the start of the game.”
Two minutes into the game, wing Kristen Thomas dotted down the first of her two tries and showcased the strong running skills that drew praise from Steinberg. Deven Owsiany, who missed the Eagles’ March tests due to injury, was in the middle of it all at scrumhalf.
“The first 15 minutes were so fast,” Owsiany marveled. “I could hear [flyhalf] Kimber [Rozier] talking with me wanting the ball, and we were moving it well but tried to offload a bit too much at times. Going into the second half we made sure to take care of the ball more and make smarter offloads.”
Hard-running Thomas / Photo: INPHO/Brian Keane for World Rugby
The pace fell off in the second quarter and included a longer break for an Italian injury.
“I think the injury stopped the momentum and then the game became stop-start, and that played into Italy’s hands,” Steinberg explained. “They were very smart at the breakdown and managed to slow our ball down at the ruck.”
The teams traded scores (Rozier dotted down the USA’s second try), and the Americans ended the half up 12-7. Alev Kelter and Abby Gustaitis were the first subs to take the pitch in the second half, and Steinberg was pleased with both their and fellow reserves’ impact on the game. The coach also complimented the work of the back row as a unit – Player of the Match Sara Parsons, fellow flanker Kate Zackary and No. 8 Jordan Gray.
The USA put down two more tries from Thomas and Gustaitis, and Italy scored in the closing minutes for the 24-12 decision.
Player of the Match Parsons / Photo: World Rugby
“We will be better off for the experience of playing together,” Steinberg reflected. “We still need work on our set piece and kicking game, but we made a good step forward. We gave away too many penalties and obviously had issue an issue with the ball in contact, although that got better throughout the game.”
“This was a must-win for us,” Owsiany added. “The win, getting the bonus point, and keeping [Italy under] four tries were all things we knew had to be done. And we’re happy with the result but know that there are still plenty of things to improve on. We have a rest day [Thursday] and then we are back to work to prep for Spain.”
The USA did what it needed to do, but a tough road lies ahead. Remember that the 12-team, 18-day World Cup does not contest a quarterfinal round. Instead the three pool winners and best second-place team advance to the final four. That fourth seed will be decided on standings points and point differential.