Both the Capital Rugby Union and Eastern Pennsylvania Rugby Union (EPRU) senior club teams participate in split 15s seasons. They start contesting league games in September, break for the winter, then resume in March when the pitches have thawed. That no-so-off season provides a block of time that both unions’ high performance programs put to good use.
On Saturday, Jan. 18, the Capital Selects will host the EPRU Selects in a one-off 15s match in Richmond, Va. The Capital men will also play the USA South at the same location: Henrico High School (302 Azalea Ave.). The men kick off at 12 p.m. EST, and the women follow at 2 p.m.
The Capital Selects are coming off of the Mary Graham All-Star 15s Tournament, an annual event that occurs in the early December in Texas. Capital won the Plate championship, defeating Mid-America 41-0 and South Selects 45-7 in the title match. In December 2025, Capital will compete in the Cup bracket.
Saturday’s team includes 23 players from eight teams: D.C. Furies (5), Raleigh (4), NOVA (4), Charlottesville (3), James River (3), Severn River (2), Norfolk and NOVA men. And 12 players (*) return from the Texas tour. Nancy Fitz is the head coach and has added some different assistants to the staff, relatively to Texas.
CAPITAL SELECTS
| 1 | Bahret, Liz | DC Furies |
| 2 | Bright, Vanessa | Raleigh |
| 3 | Coppins, Dani | NOVA |
| 4 | Crenshaw, Carson | Charlottesville |
| 5 | Day, Alex | Charlottesville |
| 6 | Eckenrode, Lauren | DC Furies |
| 7 | Gouws, Tanya | NOVA |
| 8 | Hecht, Caisi | Raleigh |
| 9 | Heffelfinger, Miranda | NOVA |
| 10 | Heimerl, Caroline | Severn River |
| 11 | Linstrom, Liz | DC Furies |
| 12 | McCulloch, Melissa | Raleigh |
| 13 | O’Reilly, Clare | Charlottesville |
| 14 | Page, Brittney | Norfolk |
| 15 | Palmer, Hope | James River |
| 16 | Robinson, Haley | NOVA |
| 17 | Rowane, Ruthie | James River |
| 18 | Tank, Kate | DC Furies |
| 19 | Tubbs, Sapphire | DC Furies |
| 20 | Whiteley, Scrappy | Severn River |
| 21 | Wingord, Manuela | Raleigh |
| 22 | Young, Trei | James River |
| 23 | Zheng, Melissa | NOVA men |
CAPITAL STAFF
Head coach: Nancy Fitz
Coaches: Lacy Ames, Dan Burr, Steven Davis, Tim Penenburgh, Rebecca Trapp
Last year, Capital took its men’s and women’s Selects to Colombia for an international tour. And it was that kind of activity that inspired EPRU president Joseph Ferrara, Jr., who stepped into the role in October 2024, to enrich the union HP programming. The EPRU Red vs. White matches were already part of the calendar, and they allowed the depth of the club membership to experience next-level rugby and show out.
“I wanted to enhance [the HP program] and be able to compete against other unions, as I think when we do our best we could compete with anyone,” Ferrara, Jr., explained. “When Steven Davis, Capital Rugby Union High Performance Director, reached out to us in November about playing on January 18 in Richmond, Va., I was ecstatic. The Capital Selects and Steven do a great job with their union, as they give their union players various opportunities to showcase their talents through Mary Graham tournaments, international tours, etc. When I became president, I wanted our high performance model to emulate the way Steven and Capital do theirs.”
View this post on Instagram
The EPRU Board of Directors bought in, and then Ferrara, Jr., set about building the EPRU High Performance Committee to push ambitions forward. The president looked for rugby veterans who had experience with the EPRU and all-star outfits, and assembled a cast ready to commit.
“All of the staff has decided to dedicate and sacrifice their time to help this Union become better,” Ferrara, Jr., praised the group. “During the off-season they could be resting, spending time with family, etc. instead decided to help grow this project.”
First on the HP Committee list: Dave Codell.
“David Codell started to push this program when he became EPRU president in 2020,” Ferrara, Jr., noted. “Without him starting this and getting players to participate in these activities, we wouldn’t have the foundation we have today. David, through his work with Atlantis and Philadelphia Gryphons has been a tremendous asset to the EPRU Selects and is reliable with all the logistics, social media, and coaching with the Red vs. White.”
EPRU vice president Karen Hall is equally valuable. The Philadelphia Rugby Club player has 20+ years with the EPRU and with all-stars.
“Karen was a tremendous asset to have on the committee, as she has seen the bulk of our players, along with the dedication and time she put in to help form this committee,” the president enthused. “Karen has been on the EPRU Board of Directors for many years and been a huge advocate of the formation of EPRU Selects and her dedication to rugby is a huge asset to have in our committee.”
Maddie Kriebel has more than two decades of playing experience and currently represents Doylestown Rugby Club for 15s. During the summer, Kriebel boots up with Slaughterhouse, which is a summer 7s-only team with members from across the EPRU. Slaughterhouse has advanced to 7s nationals the previous two seasons.
“Her experience in bringing people from different clubs and having them work together was important to have,” Ferrara, Jr., explained. “Maddie also participated as a player for the EPRU All Stars in previous years, and as a coach for the EPRU Red vs. White game the last two.”
Liz Malazita is a high-level USA Rugby referee with national championship experience, and also the Philadelphia 7s coach.
“She has seen it all and loves the game of rugby,” Ferrara, Jr., lauded the HP Committee member. “More and more in World Rugby, you see teams bringing in referees as coaches or advisors, and there is a reason why. Part of the EPRU Selects is player development and helping players know the laws of the game. Liz is a great fit for this committee.”
Ferrra, Jr., (chair), Malazita, Hall, Kriebel and Codell comprise the HP Committee, and Kriebel and Codell also fill assistant coaching roles. The final two staffers are coaches with South African roots. Tim Day is the head coach for the Northeast Philadelphia Rugby Club men’s team, Ferrara’s home team.
View this post on Instagram
“Tim has dedicated tremendous amounts of time, money and energy in not only developing rugby players but also creating better people,” the president praised. “Tim has coached rugby for over 15 years and brings tons of experience through different styles of play from his time he spent in South Africa and California. Tim’s knowledge of the game and commitment for high level of play made him an easy choice to be the inaugural head coach for the EPRU Selects.”
Izak Du Plooy previously coached DI Philadelphia and his ample experience made for a good fit as EPRU Selects forwards coach.
“His experience and development of players is a huge reason why we wanted to bring him in,” Ferrara, Jr., noted. “Izak also has experience coaching large groups, as Philadelphia Rugby Club practices with over 30 players per training. His management and attention to detail was important in player evaluation.”
The staff got a look at the player group through a series of open camps and training sessions, and now 25 players ready for the trip to Virginia. Including traveling reserves, 2024 DII national championship runner-up Phoenixville leads all selections with 11. DI Philadelphia has six reps, and new EPRU member Monmouth, which transferred from Empire this year, has five players on the roster. Doylestown, Wilmington motley and York & Lancaster have one rep apiece.
EPRU SELECTS
Philadelphia (6)
Savanna Beans
Nikki Fairman
Mekayla McAdoo
Hannah Oney
Becca Silver (c)
Gabby Wood
Phoenixville White Horse (11)
Lindsey Allebach (vc)
Kelsi Beahm
Natalie Cruz (traveling reserve)
Kelsey Diabo
Susi Espinoza
Kimberly Esposito
Casey Evans
Corinne Gallagher
Anna McGlade
Jess Rodearmel
Sydnei Scipio
Monmouth (5)
Nikki Bisoglio
Chloe Giannone
Aliyah Sonnier (traveling reserve)
Diana Valencia
Alexandra Zoda
Doylestown
Danielle Menditto
Wilmington Motley
Hollis Connick
York and Lancaster Thorns
Kayla Landis
EPRU STAFF
• Tim Day — Head Coach, Northeast Philadelphia RC
• Izak Du Plooy — Forwards/Asst Coach, Philadelphia RC
• David Codell — Asst Coach, EPRU HP Committee Member, Philadelphia Gryphons
• Maddie Kriebel — Asst Coach, EPRU HP Committee Member, Doylestown RC
• Karen Hall — EPRU HP Committee Member, Philadelphia RC
• Elizabeth Malazita — EPRU HP Committee Member, USA Rugby Referee
• Joseph Ferrara, Jr. — EPRU HP Chair, Northeast Philadelphia RC
“It is the players who are the reason why this is happening,” Ferrara, Jr., closed on the callouts. “Without them dedicating their time and effort to come to the camps, training and games, there would be no program. We have players who traveled over two hours to get to training, and five fours for the game this weekend. Their love for rugby and development is the reason why I wanted to do this. So to them, thank you!”
This Saturday’s game will take place at Henrico High School (302 Azalea Ave, Richmond, Va. 23227). Check @capitalrugbyunion and @eastpennrugby on Instagram for the latest.
“Our goal moving forward is to host games in May and November with our longer-term goal competing on various tours,” Ferrara, Jr., looked toward the future. “We will hold more open camps and skills for our players this calendar year.”
For individuals interested in the EPRU Selects, or teams interested in playing the all-star side, contact president@epru.org.