Ramsey scored her first Olympic try / Photo: Alex Ho (hoiho.net)
The USA Women 7s team improved to 2-0 in Pool C of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, defeating host Japan 17-7 to end day one. The Eagles resume play against defending Gold medalists Australia at 9:30 p.m. ET tonight.
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“We got the results where we’re through to the quarters, which is great, but we’re pretty frustrated with the performance we just put out there,” USA 7s head coach Chris Brown said. “Some of our squad got opportunities to really do their job, which was to score tries, to go out there physically, and they held back for the first seven minutes.
“I think given the disappointment of this last game and the sense of how we carried ourselves through our standards, they’ll be hurting just as much,” the coach continued. “The maturity of the group comes through a lot. They won’t want to hear it from me. It’s been a tough, tough year, but we’re more mature for it on and off the pitch and I think that’s going to set us up nicely for the end of the tour.”
Kayla Canett’s opening kickoff hit the ground short of 10 meters, and both teams hovered over the ball as it moseyed toward Japan’s 40. The home side attacked lightning fast from the pick-up, but Cheta Emba was well positioned to intercept the first offload attempt. Japan got the ball back with a penalty but then squandered the opportunity as a high pass ricocheted off a player’s shoulder and set up a USA scrum near the 22. Ilona Maher took the ball on an angled run, fended Honoka Tsutsumi twice and scored the opener: 5-0.
Kris Thomas did a nice job tracking down the restart but just knocked on the receipt for a scrum. An offsides penalty allowed Japan to keep attacking but then Canett perfectly read a pass in traffic, intercepting the ball in close and popping it to Emba quickly. The ball moved wide to Jordan Matyas for the try. Canett’s conversion just missed, hitting the post, for the 10-0 lead into the break.
In the second half, Nicole Heavirland did a good job handling a couple of bad passes out of the ruck to keep the Americans on attack. A lot of hands got the ball from sideline to sideline, but Japan absorbed it well and eventually drew a not-releasing penalty out wide. Japan opted for a cross-kick in open play but Kristi Kirshe won the chase. Kirshe pushed off the defense and then passed to Ariana Ramsey on her hip for the sprint into unguarded territory and centered try. Heavirland converted for the 17-0 lead.
Heavirland sent a pretty 10-meter restart into the air, but the kick eventually ended in a knock-on. A pair of penalties in the breakdown allowed Japan to get inside the USA 40, and the home side nearly scored with a cross-kick to the wing. Nia Toliver was there for the coverage, but now play was restarting at the USA 5 meter. The Eagles took the scrum and was attempting to run out of its end. It nearly worked, as Kirshe, Canett and Heavirland connected through 35 meters of play, but a penalty for not-releasing turned the ball over. Mifuyu Koide danced through the defense for the game’s final score, and Mio Yamanaka converted for the 17-7 final.
Australia awaits in round three and is also 2-0, having beat Japan 48-0 and China 26-10. Both teams will advance to the Cup quarterfinals.
“Two years ago, the men’s and the women’s sides were number two in the world,” Brown closed. “So we need to put a performance out there that people are excited to get into. I’m sure we’ll bounce back tomorrow and show that stronger.”