The USA Rugby Women’s 7s team finished second in Hong Kong, the sixth stop on the 2023-24 HSBC SVNS circuit and the Eagles’ first podium appearance this season. The Silver marks the Eagles’ second medal this year, building off a Bronze performance in Los Angeles. [lead photo: Kaylen Thomas scoring in Hong Kong / Alex Ho @hoiho_photo]

“It was a tremendous weekend, with so many positives but also some many things we can continue to improve on,” USA Rugby Women’s 7s Team Head Coach Emilie Bydwell told eagles.rugby. “We’ve been building throughout the season, focusing on the process and laying one brick at a time. We are really proud of the collective determination that the team showed particularly in our response against Fiji after our pool play loss to Canada, and the way that we showed up and fought for everything against France. While we are disappointed with the way the final played out, we know that there is so much that we can take from that game as we build into both Singapore and Madrid.

The USA went 2-1 in Pool C, beating Spain 24-5 and Japan 17-12, and losing to Canada 12-5. In the Cup Quarterfinals, the Eagles beat Fiji 33-7, and then France 19-5 in the semifinals. New Zealand, however, was too much to overcome in the final, and the Black Ferns took the Gold 36-7.

Alev Kelter led the Eagles with 34 points on four tries and seven conversions. Kelter was named to the All-Tournament Team, as was Ilona Maher, who notched three tries in Hong Kong. Jaz Gray (3), Kristi Kirshe (2), Steph Rovetti, Kris Thomas and Spiff Sedrick dotted down as well. Kayla Canett added 11 points on a try and three conversions, while Kaylen Thomas scored the lone try against Canada, marking the debutant’s first-ever points on the circuit.

“While this season will culminate both in Madrid and at the Olympics, we need to celebrate the moments along the way, and to be able to play in a final at such an iconic rugby sevens venue is a memory that I hope our players cherish for the rest of their careers.”

Singapore (May 3-5) is the final stop on the HSBC SVNS series, and then the top-eight teams will advance to the finale in Madrid (May 31-June 2). It’s a new setup. Instead of naming the champion on series standings points, the top-eight teams — including the USA, which sits in 4th place — all have equal shot at a medal.

USA Women | 2024 Hong Kong SVNS