As always, there is much to track across the girls and women’s rugby sphere in the U.S., but do note that these recaps also include the movements of Americans abroad, too. This week was special because a handful of key dates and locations — at the USA and national championship levels — were announced and, in some cases, discovered after some sleuthing. See the full rundown of games and scores from last weekend and stay tuned for daily features (available to subscribers). [lead graphic c/o @rugbyevolved]
USA
Perhaps the most obvious reminder: Women’s Elite Rugby (WER) contests its inaugural matches this weekend. Boston Banshees @ New York Exiles on Saturday (3 p.m. ET), and then TC Gemini @ Chicago Tempest on Sunday (1 p.m. CT). Livestream details are forthcoming and TRB will have interviews from all four head coaches.
Related, for rugby media looking to cover any games in person this season, be sure to fill out this accreditation form. To request interviews, etc., e-mail media@womenseliterugby.us.
The USA Women’s National Team announced a three-game test series occurring int he U.S. from late April to July. Head coach Sione Fukofuka and USA Eagle Tess Feury took time to talk about the home games, as well as the details knitting together the Rugby World Cup build-up.
New Zealand’s Super Rugby Aupiki is like a regional all-star competition and represents an important level linking the domestic leagues and the Black Ferns. USA Eagle Jett Hayward, featured in the below video, is playing with Matatū (Te Wai Pounamu/South Island), and last weekend traveled to Nelson for a top-of-table clash against the Blues. The game went 28-7 to the Blues, but the rematch will occur next weekend. The Grand Final is April 12.
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Charli Jacoby (Queensland Reds) and Keia Mae Sagapolu Sanele (Brumbies) are also doing work in Australia’s Super Rugby season, and they face each other in round four. Jacoby is on the bench and Sagapolu Sanele starts at tighthead. (reference: Eagles Overseas)
Stay tuned for words from the USA Women’s 7s team, as they ready for the final two legs of the HSBC SVNS Series in Hong Kong and Singapore.
SENIOR CLUB
A location is now known for the USA Club Rugby 15s National Championships on May 16-18! Five sets of men’s and women’s semifinalists will converge on the Kuntz Soccer & Sports Complex in Indianapolis, Ind. (Check out TRB’s visual update of how the Super Regional Championships are shaping up.) It’s a cool facility that has been recently renovated with the future of rugby in mind. USA Club Rugby has not made the official announcement yet; however, the facility already has ticket options on its site.
March is Women’s History Month and there have been a handful of cool events happening in the rugby space. SoCal’s Women’s Day occurred last Saturday in Oxnard, and not only were the games great (see: Weekend Scores), but the coverage of the event was superb. Check out @SoCalRugbyUnion on Instagram. Sarah DeChance of @kiss_my_aperature was turning around those photos like a pro!
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There was also a Kino Rugby Day in Tucson, Ariz., that wasn’t specific to Women’s History Month but a general showcase for rugby in the area (although regrettably, there was not a girls’ high school element). Phoenix beat Old Pueblo 36-10 in a DII Southwest league match. There are still three weeks of league play (last Saturday’s Las Vegas vs. Albuquerque game has been rescheduled for April 5), but Las Vegas and Phoenix are the picks for the Southwest final on April 5.
And this Saturday is a Women in Rugby Night in Seattle. As curtain-raisers for the MLR Seawolves’ MLR match against the Utah Warriors (7 p.m.), the U18 Portland Grackles (formerly East County Grackles, which has been folded into Portland Rugby Club) and Valley Panthers will take the pitch at 4 p.m., and then the top-two teams in the Pacific Northwest — Seattle RFC and Portland — will face each other at 4:30 p.m.
COLLEGE
This weekend is the Pacific Mountain Rugby Conference finals. Stanford and Western Washington play for first (1 p.m.), and Cal and Oregon play for third (10 a.m.). All four teams will advance to the CRAA DI 15s regional playoffs on April 4-6 in Tempe, Ariz. Read more about the next stage of the post-season, which involves three Pacific Desert teams and Air Force.
We’re working our way through the DIA, which is in the best part of its season right now. Life University and Ryszard Chadwick were first among the features, and Lindenwood (Trevor Locke) and BYU (Jared Whippy) are in the hopper.
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In the BUCS Super Rugby quarterfinals, three Americans took the pitch for their U.K. universities. Caroline Cook (featured above) and Erica Kissinger started in the front row for Cardiff Met (Wales), and Claremont Colleges alum Caroline Bullock anchored the Edinburgh University (Scotland) scrum at No. 8. The teams faced each other today at 2 p.m. GMT, and Cardiff Met won 48-15 to advance to the semifinals.
HIGH SCHOOL
Premier Rugby 7s (PR7s) has announced the creation of two more PR7s Rise programs in the West — one based in Portland, Ore., and one based in the northern California. The Portland program begins with a camp series from April 5-May 3, and then the academy sessions run from June 6-August 15. Both blocks occur in West Linn. Read more. The Golden State Rugby Academy has tryouts on March 23 and March 30 and are open to U19 players. Read more. Information on the training calendar is TBA.
The USA Rugby Women’s Pathway Talent ID Tour came to Vancouver, Wash., last weekend and drew nice attendance. Fukofuka talked about the importance of this tour in his recent interview as well as the recent Pathway summit that aligned age grade coaches with the vision of the national team coaches. Angela Veetutu of Triple Shot Photos with the snaps:
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A handful of states officially kicked off their spring seasons last weekend, and Rugby Pennsylvania produced perhaps the most notable result. In Division I, Cumberland Valley beat reigning champion Knightmare 37-27 in 15s. Mixing it up!
TRB doesn’t often cover middle school rugby, just since it’s such an unwieldy space, but Rugby NorCal held its girls’ championship last weekend in Elk Grove (which is a mere 30 minutes away from the WER Bay Breakers’ home in Lodi). The Sacramento Harlequins won the trophy — something the U18 team was pleased to see!
The snow came to Utah last weekend, but the teams didn’t back down. The weather produced some really lovely images, like the following Wasatch clip in its game against Provo/Mountain View, which won 44-33.
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Also Utah related, the North American Invitational 15s tournament that was originally scheduled to occur on Memorial Day Weekend has been postponed until 2026. Looking for a substitute? Consider the Great Northwest Challenge in Bozeman, Mont., at the end of June.
Stay tuned for a weekend’s games + scores post, which tracks the country’s action.