eagles.rugby – Fueled by the momentum set at the Pacific Four Series opener last week in Sacramento, the USA Women’s Eagles are ready to get back to business in Kansas City, Mo., this Friday, April 17 when they take on Australia at CPKC Stadium at 8 p.m. CT. [lead photo: Alex Ho @hoiho_photo]

Hyped for the hotly contentious fixture against the Wallaroos, having ended in a draw in their last meeting at the 2025 Rugby World Cup in England, the Eagles are ready to shift the tables on home soil in an iconic USA style Friday Night Lights. The USA enter into the Pacific Four Series in 8th, just behind 7th ranked Australia. Limited tickets are still available at https://usa.rugby/pac4. Catch showdown live on Paramount+ and CBS Sports Network.

Running out a strong performance against New Zealand last week, guided by new leadership in head coach Jack Hanratty and captain Erica Jarrell-Searcy, the USA made a statement of intent as they kicked off the first match of their new RWC cycle. With one game now under their belt, the starting lineup remains unchanged and the squad are eager to put learnings on show. And following last year’s record-breaking crowd of 10,518 at CPKC Stadium, the largest ever for a North American match, the USA Eagles are calling on the home crowd support to rewrite history and claim a victory stateside.

With the starting XV holding strong, Hanratty and staff make two changes in the reserves bringing in Paige Stathopoulos and recent call-up Tessa Hann who joins the setup from the USA Women’s Eagles Sevens program.

Ready to deliver a commanding performance, Hanratty commented on the team’s target for the match:

“Last week we wanted to showcase that we could score from different areas of the game. We showed glimpses of that but we definitely want more. The starting team has remained unchanged allowing the group to build on the good and have a redo of what needs to be better. Australia and the USA seem to be growing a rivalry. Last year’s RWC tie was likely one of the Games of the tournament but it was still a tie and I know both sides will be targeting this as a win.”

 

“We had some exciting moments last week, but the aim is creating consistent momentum on both sides of the ball. We are trying to compete everyday at training – not just on match day. Paige comes in as a consistent performer in the Eagles jersey and with Lightning this year. Although Tessa was a late addition into our traveling squad, Tessa has been performing week in and out as part of the Sevens program – also showcasing an exciting development of more fluid movement between the programs to allow for the athletes to chase results not just as Sevens or XVs, but as Eagles.”

Despite just a six-day turnaround, the USA Women’s Eagles landed in Kansas City with guns blazing ready to put on a show for fans in the iconic made-for-women’s-sports, CPKC Stadium notorious for its record breaking fan energy as they finalize preparations to take on Australia this Friday. Limited tickets are still available at https://usa.rugby/pac4. Fans can watch the action live on Paramount+ and CBS Sports Network.

2026 PAC4 Series Coaches & Staff

Jack Hanratty | Head Coach

Sarah Chobot | Assistant Coach

Lou Meadows | Assistant Coach

Jon Humphreys | Assistant Coach

Tom Clough | Head of Athletic Performance

Anna Unnasch | Athletic Trainer

Janie Kleumpers | Athletic Trainer

Rachel Sachs-Bourne | Team Physician

Alana Gattinger | Head of High Performance Operations, 15s

Hannah Reid | Team Manager

Media Manager | Jenni Burke

Team Videographer | Owen Ascheries