PR7s Announces 1st Roster: Experts

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Premier Rugby 7s (PR7s) is a new professional sports league, and its inaugural championship will be held Oct. 9, 2021, in Memphis, Tenn. There are four teams in the women’s competition and they’re all captained by Olympians. The Experts are the first to release their roster, and if their talent is the standard for the to-be-announced teams, then this tournament will set an excellent precedent for the future.

RELATED: PR7s Home Page

Experts captain Kristi Kirshe is one of four Tokyo Olympians leading women’s teams in Memphis. Kirshe is power incarnate and has all of those head-down, hard-working qualities that make for an inspirational leader. The Boston native will be familiar with several players who have been working in and around Chula Vista the last couple of years, including Summer Harris-Jones, who is currently in Canada representing the USA in the Fast Four 7s series. The Life University and UVA alumna is also power and speed, and has been busting through international defenses across both weekends.

A’au for USA 7s in Canada / USA Rugby photo

Also live-streaming into households these two weekends, Sui A’au has been hammering opponents with the Eagles, and earned a set of shoutouts from teammate Jaz Gray for her ability to pump up the squad. A’au went right from Central Washington University to Chula Vista after graduation.

Jade McGrath knows Chula Vista, too, and is a does-it-all-type player who earned MVP at the most recent USA Club 7s National Championship with title-winning Scion. Bridget Kahele played alongside McGrath and was an excellent impact player for the Sirens. Amanda Berta has stood out at nationals in years past but did not travel with the Chicago Lions this past August. McGrath and Berta have represented the USA Falcons in the past.

Jade McGrath / Alex Ho photo

There are several capped 15s Eagles on the roster as well, with Nene Persinger, KB Broughton and Bulou Mataitoga regularly suiting up for the USA in those back-three positions. Persinger and Mataitoga have also represented the USA 7s team, and the former stood out for Life West during 7s nationals but had to come out early for an injury. Broughton and Mataitoga recently faced each other through the Colorado Gray Wolves and California Grizzlies game in San Francisco, and they are so fun to watch with ball in hand.

More speed, you say? Erica Legaspi and Katie Lohaus bring it. They, too, stood out during the club 7s championship and served Washington AC and Rocky Mountain Magic, respectively, as solid finishers. Legaspi is also an internationally capped 7s player with the Philippines and incredibly elusive.

Legaspi (tackler) and Lohaus at club 7s nationals are now teammates / Photo: Jackie Finlan (TRB)

The only “unknown” is Emily Samek, but only to U.S. audiences. Samek is a capped Canada 15s player and has been representing the Neighbor to the North since 2018. Finally, Penn State’s Kate Daley is the head coach and two-time rugby Olympian Lauren Doyle is the assistant coach.

The tournament is a one-day affair, and so the teams will play each other once and then fill championship and third-place matches. See schedule below. All of the games will be played on Fox Sports.