LOS ANGELES, CA (March 3, 2022) – USA Rugby today announced an exciting venture as the USA Women’s Sevens will host Australia for a set of training exhibition matches with final fixtures played at the historic Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on March 13. Home to University of Southern California football and the LA Giltinis of Major League Rugby, the 1984 Olympic venue mounts an exciting stage for two of the best sevens teams in World Rugby.
Participating over three days, teams will train and compete at the Elite Athlete Training Center in Chula Vista, ahead of the matches played at the Coliseum. Two matches are open to spectators, both at halftime and after the LA Giltinis vs Utah Warriors game. Tickets for the event can be purchased at giltinis.com/tickets.
Women’s Sevens Head Coach, Emilie Bydwell noted, “We are thrilled to showcase our games against Australia alongside the Gilitini’s home match at such an iconic venue as the Coliseum. With limited opportunities to compete in front of a home crowd we are excited for this opportunity to test ourselves, not only against the best ranked team in the world, but with the pressure of a stadium setting. A big thank you to the Gilitini’s and Rugby Australia for making this happen and for their support of the women’s game. These matches are invaluable for us as we continue our preparations for the remainder of the World Series legs and in our build up to the Rugby World Cup Sevens in Cape Town.”
LA Giltinis Head of Strategic Partnerships and USA Eagle Alum, Todd Clever added, “The Giltinis are excited to host the USA and Australian women’s sevens programs at the Coliseum. We are all about growing the game, connecting with our community and showcasing the diversity and inclusion of rugby.’
USA Rugby CEO, Dan Payne said, “It’s amazing to have quality competition during this break between World Series stops, even more so when played on a grand stage. We’re thrilled to have our players run out in such an iconic venue and equally as excited to add to the energetic LA Giltinis gameday atmosphere. A sincere thank you to our team staff, the Giltinis and Rugby Australia for this great collaboration.”
Australia Women’s Sevens Head Coach Tim Walsh noted on the event, “We are bringing our top squad to train in San Diego for a week so the opportunity to finish with authentic games at an iconic stadium with the pressure of a pro-US crowd is exactly what you want,”
“We will be playing against an excellent USA team. We played the USA at the Rio and Tokyo Olympics so we have history and a record of good battles. It was great to have the background of coaching the Australian men’s sevens team with Giltinis head Coach Steve Hoiles in 2020 to help make this possible.”
Australia currently holds first place in the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series women’s standings, with the United States sitting in fourth. Coming off a successful two-stop tour in Spain, which included a gold medal win in Malaga, the USA come into the exhibition looking to field quality competition between tournament stops and keep momentum towards Langford in April.