Round two of the WXV 1 arrives this Saturday, Oct. 5, and the USA Rugby Women’s National Team (WNT) will face France inside Canada’s Langley Event Centre at 12:30 p.m. PT. WNT head coach Sione Fukofuka announced the match-day 23 roster to face Les Bleus. [lead photo: Ethan Cairns – World Rugby/World Rugby via Getty Images]
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Both teams lost their opening WXV 1 matches. The USA dropped a 40-point decision to England, while France lost to hometown Canada 46-24. The USA and France last played each other during the 2019 Super Series, where France defeated the Eagles 53-14 in San Diego. The Eagles’ last win against France was in 2013.
RELATED: More USA v France stats
“We know that we need to play for the full 80 minutes this week in order to be in position to get the result,” Fukofuka said. “We are very aware that France is a very dangerous team that has threats across the park in their pack, halves and centers, so we have been working hard on our connected line speed and dominant collisions. We created a number of turnovers last week, so are keen to repeat that pressure on France. Through our attack, we will be looking to launch off our scrum and lineout to create the momentum we want to unleash the outside threats we have in the team.”
Most of the starting lineup heading into Saturday remains the same, with Lotte Sharp coming in to the left wing to replace Kris Thomas. Set to appear in her 25th match with the Eagles, Alev Kelter replace Emily Henrich at outside center, while Gabby Cantorna steps into inside center. Rachel Johnson and Tess Feury are the vice captains alongside captain Kate Zackary.
“As a team we were relatively pleased with our first 70 minutes against England but really want to create more opportunities to attack, so bringing Gabby Cantorna in allows us to have a second organizer on the field and increases our vision to attack within our system,” Fukofuka said. “Alev is a dangerous ballcarrier and we feel that the outside channel will provide her with space that she can cause havoc in. Lotte returns to us after a great preseason at Saracens and provides experience in the back field and is a threat whenever she is around the ball.”
USA v France | October 5, 2024
| NAME | CLUB | CAPS |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Hope Rogers | Exeter Chiefs | 48 |
| 2. Kathryn Treder | Loughborough Lightning | 23 |
| 3. Charli Jacoby | Exeter Chiefs | 30 |
| 4. Erica Jarrell | Sale Sharks | 11 |
| 5. Hallie Taufoou | Loughborough Lightning | 20 |
| 6. Tahlia Brody | Leicester Tigers | 13 |
| 7. Kate Zackary (C) | Ealing Trailfinders | 38 |
| 8. Rachel Johnson (VC) | Exeter Chiefs | 30 |
| 9. Taina Tukuafu | Berkeley All Blues | 11 |
| 10. McKenzie Hawkins | Colorado Gray Wolves | 18 |
| 11. Lotte Sharp | Saracens | 16 |
| 12. Gabby Cantorna | Exeter Chiefs | 30 |
| 13. Alev Kelter | Loughborough Lightning | 24 |
| 14. Cheta Emba | USA Sevens | 10 |
| 15. Bulou Mataitoga | Loughborough Lightning | 19 |
| 16. Paige Stathopoulos | Beantown RFC | 11 |
| 17. Maya Learned | Colorado Gray Wolves | 13 |
| 18. Keia Mae Sagapolu | Leicester Tigers | 12 |
| 19. Rachel Ehrecke | Colorado Gray Wolves | 16 |
| 20. Tessa Hann | Colorado Gray Wolves | 1 |
| 21. Cassidy Bargell | Beantown RFC | 2 |
| 22. Nana Fa’avesi | USA Sevens | 8 |
| 23. Tess Feury (VC) | Leicester Tigers | 29 |
USA STAFF
Head Coach | Sione Fukofuka
Assistant Coach | Mel Bosman
Assistant Coach | Sarah Chobot
Team Doctor | Rebecca Rodriguez (Week 1)
Team Doctor | Marvin Valencia (Week 2&3)
Lead Physiotherapist | Emily Lauer
Physiotherapist | Sam Malette
Head of Athletic Performance | Charles Dudley
Performance Recovery Coach | Sylvia Braaten
Lead Analyst | Caitlin Singletary
Team Manager | Lindsay Wilson
USA SCHEDULE
All games live-streamed on RugbyPass TV
SUN SEPT 29
England 61-21 USA
Kelter 2T, Zackary T, Hawkins 3C
SAT OCT 5 | 12:30 p.m. PT
USA v France • livestream
FRI OCT 11 | 12:30 p.m. PT
USA v Ireland