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The Must-Watchs for WPL Nationals

  • 31 Oct 2019
  • 269 Views

The 11th Women’s Premier League National Championship begins Friday, Nov. 1 in Glendale, Colo., and the finals will be held Sunday, Nov. 3. All games will be held on the turf pitch adjacent to Infinity Park and live-streamed via FloRugby (subscription required). Some things to consider when tuning into the games:

WEATHER

It’s going to be cold. Friday’s high is currently 37 and Sunday is more temperate at 51, but again, those are the highs. All of the teams will contend with the conditions; it’ll just be a less familiar experience for those who typically play in sunny, dry weather. Fortunately, the adrenaline at nationals is the body’s best heater.

EPIC EAGLE BOUTS

The WPL is the fall home to many USA Eagles and pool players, and it’s fun to see them square up. We’re drooling over first-round match-ups like:

Power props Charli Jacoby (Chicago North Shore) and Jamila Reinhardt (San Diego) are terrifying ballcarriers who send defenders reeling backward, but they also have nice giddy-up in open space and are comfortable there.

Johnson & Johnson – No soothing talcum powder here! Hard, grinding back rows Rachel Johnson (ORSU) and Katie Johnson (Twin Cities) are always in the middle of everything – from poaching rucks to quick counter-attacks. The former spent a month at Chula Vista this fall and the latter is a Rio Olympian.

Boot vs. Boot – Both Beantown and Berkeley play good kicking games, so expect lots of airborn territory exchanged. Berkeley scrumhalf Shelby Lin (who is one of TRB’s favorite open-field tacklers) does a nice job from the base of the ruck, and flyhalf Tatjana Toeldte is Beantown’s masterful director.

Penn State Reunion – Gabby Cantorna and Corinne Heavner have helped Penn State to national titles but Friday will (likely) see the 10s battle each other. Both drive very good kicking games and at their relatively young ages are lynchpins for their WPL teams.

Back-Three Fight – Leti Hingano vs. Tess Feury. Powerful and deceptively fast, Life West’s Hingano has had a breakout season and leads the WPL in tries scored. New York’s Tess Feury is the essence of “calm and collected” and is also deceptively elusive, not to mention internationally tested.

COLLEGE SHOWCASE

Ros Chou is head coach for both the Atlanta Harlequins and Life University, and thus understands – and is invested in – the important bonds that should exist between these two levels of play. Chou organized a four-team collegiate showcase on Saturday, to occur on the turf pitch adjacent to Infinity Park:

2 p.m. MT Life University vs. Central Washington

4 p.m. MT Lindenwood vs. BYU

Chou then contacted the nine other WPL teams proposing a meet-and-greet with the collegians.

“They all wrote back: Yes,” Chou enthused. “We have 10 competitive teams in the WPL and all these college athletes training in high-performance environments – BYU isn’t full-time but they have different resources. We see a big drop-off from college to club, but there are places where they can continue to train and compete and possibly make the national team.”

The WPL teams will essentially cater a recruitment event and connect with potential future teammates.

NATIONALS DEBUTS

ATLANTA: After training with New Zealand’s Kendra Cocksedge, Bridget Kahele started playing 9 for Life University last season, and then transitioned to the Quins’ scrumhalf this fall. Kahele has great vision and is eager to peel off the ruck and set it up short side. Fun, darting player to track.

BEANTOWN: If you know your college history, then Brittany Dykes is a familiar name. The current Beantown wing was instrumental to Tulane University’s meteoric rise a few years ago, and today, she’s embraced her central role in Beantown’s kicking game.

BERKELEY: Ros Okpara is all fire. The back row has started in games but we love the former SFGG player as an impact reserve. Okpara really has the power to shake the opposition and seems to win the collision point on sheer determination alone.

CHICAGO NORTH SHORE: Ally Dykes is a former Collegiate All-American out of Roger Williams and took some time from the game after graduation. It’s good to see the New Englander running around with the pack again.

GLENDALE: The Merlins’ starting roster doesn’t offer a ton of options for “first years,” but McKenzie Hawkins certainly qualifies as someone to watch. The Eagle and Lindenwood grad is already a lynchpin in the backline attack, and has also assumed kicking-for-points duties.

LIFE WEST: Most players are WPL newcomers, save Hope Rogers (San Diego), Frieda Fetu’u (Berkeley), Hali Deters (Glendale), among others, who have represented other WPL teams. But focusing on first-year senior club players, Jett Hayward it is. The Stanford grad is the epitome of the Gladiatrix: flexible in position (front or back rows), really mobile around the pitch, and a touch of daring.

NEW YORK: Gianna Solomon has primarily been a center or a flanker, but scrumhalf is a relatively new position for the Penn State grad and All-American. Nevertheless, NYRC head coach Tiffany Faaee has praised the first-year’s adaptability and success in the crucial decision-making position.

ORSU: Tiana A’au of the famed A’au sisters represented the Jesters in the team’s final two league matches to qualify for nationals. The 20-year-old is already a capped 15s Eagle and just adds a nice pop to the forwards’ game.

SAN DIEGO: Harvard grad Genevieve Quirion received high marks as a first-season contributor from head coach Jarrod Faul. The Surfers, despite finishing fourth in the West, are loaded with talent and Quirion has been starting in the back row and has also put in time at hooker.

TWIN CITIES: 22-year-old Danica Mooney-Jones went from the University of Minnesota to starting wing with the Amazons, and has scored 64 points this season with five tries and 15 conversions. Not a bad transition, which happened alongside former Gophers coach Rebecca Radtke.

CAIN ON THE MIC?

USA 15s head coach Rob Cain will likely be in Glendale, Colo., and might get some time on the FloRugby mic. If so, it’s a great opportunity to follow the game through the national team coach’s eyes, to understand what individual and game attributes leave impressions, and the head coach’s take on the American game.

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