The USA Rugby Women’s 7s team finished sixth in Perth, Australia, where the third leg of the HSBC SVNS Series took place. The Eagles went 2-3 overall, defeating Fiji and Great Britain before falling to Canada, France and Japan. The USA banked 10 standings points and currently sits in 4th place. The series will resume on Feb. 21-23, when the men’s and women’s international fields head to Vancouver, Canada. [all photos: Alex Ho @hoiho_photo / World Rugby]
Kristi Kirshe returned to the squad for the first time this year, joining a roster of new talent who continue to keep pace with the top teams. In a special occasion, residency veteran Autumn Czaplicki made her HSBC SVNS debut in the Perth quarterfinal. The USA Women went 3-2 on the weekend, steadily moving forward with Head Coach Emilie Bydwell’s progression towards the series finale at home in Los Angeles in May. Next up for the USA Women’s Sevens will be a familiar timezone in Canada for the Vancouver SVNS, Feb 21-23.

USA 7s co-captain Kayla Canett (Alex Ho @hoiho_photo / World Rugby)
“We’re definitely happy with how we started the weekend—gritting out a tough [21-19] win against Fiji and following that with a dominant [26-5] performance against Great Britain,” USA Women’s 7s head coach Emilie Bydwell said. “However, we fell short against Canada, both tactically and in our mindset, which was frustrating. But we took that game as a brick on the wall, using it to learn and elevate our performance throughout the tournament. While we ultimately fell short against France and Japan, the intent and intensity with which we competed were noticeably stronger. Moving forward, our focus will be on sharpening our decision-making and maintaining defensive structure under pressure, especially in chaotic moments and through phases. These areas will be a priority as we head into our next training block.”
The USA competed in Pool B and started against Fiji. Nia Toliver (2) and Ari Ramsey scored the tries, and crucially, co-captain Kayla Canett kicked all three conversions for the 21-19 edge. The Eagles legged out a 26-5 win against Great Britain in round two, and Ramsey accounted for three of four tries. The fourth came from Toliver, who finished the tournament with three tries. Pool play closed with a 21-7 loss to Canada, and Canett accounted for all the Americans’ points. In the Cup quarterfinals, France knocked the U.S. out of contention for a podium finish, winning 19-7. Ramsey dotted down the Americans’ try and Sariah Ibarra converted.

Sariah Ibarra v France (Alex Ho @hoiho_photo / World Rugby)
The tournament ended in the 5th place match against Japan, and it was memorable for both sides. Ramsey raced to two quick tries, finishing the tournament with a team-leading seven overall. Canett scored before the half to lead 15-5. Japan responded in the second stanza, running in four tries to the USA’s one (from Jess Lu, her first on the circuit). Japan took the game 29-22.
Ramsey led all point scorers with 35 on seven tries, while Canett contributed 30 (2T, 5C). Toliver accounted for 15 points (3T), Ibarra eight (4C), and Lu also scored.
USA 21-19 Fiji
Tries: Toliver 2, Ramsey
Cons: Canett 3
USA 26-5 Great Britain
Tries: Ramsey 3, Toliver
Cons: Ibarra 2, Canett
Canada 21-7 USA
Tries: Canett
Cons: Canett
Cup QF: France 19-7 USA
Tries: Ramsey
Cons: Ibarra
5th: Japan 29-22 USA
Tries: Ramsay 2, Canett, Lu
Cons: Ibarra

Newly capped Autumn Czaplicki (Alex Ho @hoiho_photo / World Rugby)
“There have been several positives this season,” Bydwell reflected on the three series legs. “We’ve successfully capped seven new players and navigated significant turnover, all while continuing to compete in tournaments and providing valuable experience to a range of players. We’ve shown just how dangerous and dynamic we can be, with our ability to score tries quickly as a testament to that. But above all, what’s most important is that our players have remained fully committed to carrying the torch of the Highwomen, consistently working to deliver our team values both on and off the field.”
The Vancouver tournament will be the fourth of six stops on the 2025 series. The games occur Feb. 21-23 inside BC Stadium, which is a domed facility. The world championship occurs a month after the series ends, in Los Angeles from May 3-4.

Jess Lu scored her first HSBC SVNS try in Perth (Alex Ho @hoiho_photo / World Rugby)
Roster | Perth SVNS
Player Number. Name (# SVNS Tournaments)
1. Ariana Ramsey (10)
3. Kayla Canett (C) (32)
6. Alena Olsen (C) (27)
12. Kristi Kirshe (26)
15. Rachel Strasdas (4)
16. Jessica Lu (3)
20. Autumn LoCicero (3)
24. Su Adegoke (3)
28. Sariah Ibarra (3)
29. Hann Humphreys (3)
32. Alyssa Porter (3)
33. Nia Toliver (3)
99. Autumn Czaplicki (1)
Staff | Perth SVNS
Emilie Bydwell | Head Coach
Zack Test | Assistant Coach
Trey Ford | Head of Athletic Performance
Nicole Titmas | Manager of Medical Services; Head Athletic Trainer
Liz Strohecker | Head of Operations – Sevens