VANCOUVER, BC – The USA Women’s Eagles have landed in Vancouver, and prepare for their first WXV 1 matchup against defending champions England on Sunday, Sept. 29 at 12:30 p.m. PT. Together for the past two weeks, the squad began their WXV tour with some prep in Seattle before crossing the border to Vancouver. [lead photo: WXV 1 captains / Ethan Cairns – World Rugby/World Rugby via Getty Images]
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Kate Zackary returns to captaincy, recovered from an injury to play in her first Eagles game since the team’s win against Australia in May. Hope Rogers also returns to the Eagles roster for the first time since May. A few months after a bronze medal win at the Paris Olympics, Alev Kelter joins the 15s squad as inside center. Cheta Emba and Kris Thomas also come in from USA 7s to join the starting wings.
On this week’s roster, head coach Sione Fukofuka said, “We welcome back core players to our on- and off-field leadership in Kate as Captain, Rachel as Vice Captain and Hope as a part of the leadership group. They are all experienced, world-class players in our forward pack, they have a physical presence and add confidence to the players around them which will be important in WXV, especially against a strong England team. With the addition of Alev, Kris, and Cheta, we add strike power to our backline that we are excited to unleash.”
RELATED: USA v England Historical Stats
The USA and England last met on the pitch in September 2022 ahead of the World Cup, where England came away with the 52-14 win. In their opening WXV 1 match, both teams will be looking to make a statement ahead of the next three weeks.
Fukofuka said of this week’s prep, “The squad has worked really hard on their core skills, set piece and our collision work. We know we are in a performance tournament against the top 4 teams in the world and are excited to test ourselves against the best teams in the world as we continue to build to the World Cup.”
USA v England kicks off Sunday, September 29, at 12:30 p.m. PT, live on RugbyPass TV.
USA v England Roster
| NAME | CLUB | CAPS |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Hope Rogers | Exeter Chiefs | 47 |
| 2. Kathryn Treder | Loughborough Lightning | 22 |
| 3. Charli Jacoby | Exeter Chiefs | 29 |
| 4. Erica Jarrell | Sale Sharks | 10 |
| 5. Hallie Taufoou | Loughborough Lightning | 19 |
| 6. Tahlia Brody | Leicester Tigers | 12 |
| 7. Kate Zackary (C) | Ealing Trailfinders | 37 |
| 8. Rachel Johnson (VC) | Exeter Chiefs | 29 |
| 9. Taina Tukuafu | Berkeley All Blues | 10 |
| 10. McKenzie Hawkins (VC) | Colorado Gray Wolves | 17 |
| 11. Kris Thomas | USA Sevens | 11 |
| 12. Alev Kelter | Loughborough Lightning | 23 |
| 13. Emily Henrich | Leicester Tigers | 18 |
| 14. Cheta Emba | USA Sevens | 9 |
| 15. Bulou Mataitoga | Loughborough Lightning | 18 |
| 16. Paige Stathopoulos | Beantown RFC | 10 |
| 17. Catie Benson | Sale Sharks | 45 |
| 18. Keia Mae Sagapolu | Leicester Tigers | 11 |
| 19. Emerson Allen | Rhinos / Life West | 1 |
| 20. Rachel Ehrecke | Colorado Gray Wolves | 15 |
| 21. Sophie Pyrz | Rhinos / Life West | 2 |
| 22. Nana Fa’avesi | USA Sevens | 7 |
| 23. Tess Feury | Leicester Tigers | 28 |
USA Staff
Head Coach | Sione Fukofuka
Assistant Coach | Mel Bosman
Assistant Coach | Sarah Chobot
Team Doctor | Rebecca Rodriguez (Week 1)
Team Doctor | Marvin Valencia (Week 2&3)
Lead Physiotherapist | Emily Lauer
Physiotherapist | Sam Malette
Head of Athletic Performance | Charles Dudley
Performance Recovery Coach | Sylvia Braaten
Lead Analyst | Caitlin Singletary
Team Manager | Lindsay Wilson
USA WXV 1 Schedule
All live on RugbyPass TV (times listed in local PT)
Sunday, Sept 29 @ 12:30pm
USA v England
Saturday, Oct 5 @ 12:30pm
USA v France
Friday, Oct 11 @ 12:30pm
USA v Ireland
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