USA RUGBY — The USA Rugby Women’s National Team (WNT) arrived in Japan this week for a two-test series against the hosts. Tess Feury captains the Eagles in the Sunday, Aug. 11 opener, which will be live-streaming from Kitakyushu via RugbyPassTV. Kickoff is at 5 a.m. ET. The rematch will occur on Saturday, Aug. 17 in Shizuoka, also at 5 a.m. ET. [lead photo: USA Rugby]
“The team has settled in well and has adjusted well to the short prep and heat here in Fukuoka,” USA Rugby WNT Head Coach Sione Fukofuka said. “We have had two on-field sessions where we have worked hard at connecting after being apart since PAC4, and aligning our standards across the squad with a number of new faces coming in.
“The roster for Japan was based on combinations in key positions as well as selecting players that put in the work across the remote program,” Fukofuka said of Sunday’s match-day roster, “and [who] we feel will allow us to play to our strengths and pressure Japan,” head coach Sione Fukofuka said of the match-day 23.
Feury will lead from fullback, while vice captains Kathryn Treder and McKenzie Hawkins will direct from hooker and flyhalf, respectively. The reserves includes three players looking for their first USA cap: Incoming USA 7s resident Sariah Ibarra out of Belmont Shore, and Rhinos Rugby Academy’s Sophie Pyrz and Emerson Allen, who are playing WPL ball with Life West.
“It’s exciting to be able to provide the opportunity for the new faces in the roster to add their value to the jersey,” Fukofuka said. “I’m happy to see the hard work that Emerson Allen and Sophie Pyrz have put in over the past six months has paid off. It’s great to see Maya Learned and Summer Harris-Jones back in the USA match-day roster and we are excited to see Sariah Ibarra express herself on the field. Building depth and competition across the squad is a key focus and this series against a very good Japan team is a great opportunity to provide that opportunity.”
The USA has played Japan in 15s twice in program history, and both matches occurred at the Rugby World Cup. Japan is currently ranked 11th in the world, while the USA is 7th. These matches will be useful in the build to the WXV1, which occurs in Canada beginning in late September.
USA v Japan | August 11, 2024
| Name | Club | Caps |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Alivia Leatherman | Life West | 3 |
| 2. Kathryn Treder (VC) | Loughborough Lightning | 20 |
| 3. Charli Jacoby | Exeter Chiefs | 28 |
| 4. Erica Jarrell | Sale Sharks | 9 |
| 5. Hallie Taufoou | Loughborough Lightning | 17 |
| 6. Rachel Ehrecke | Colorado Gray Wolves | 13 |
| 7. Tahlia Brody | Leicester Tigers | 10 |
| 8. Freda Tafuna | Lindenwood University | 8 |
| 9. Olivia Ortiz | Exeter Chiefs | 20 |
| 10. McKenzie Hawkins (VC) | Colorado Gray Wolves | 15 |
| 11. Summer Harris-Jones | USA Sevens | 3 |
| 12. Gabby Cantorna | Exeter Chiefs | 25 |
| 13. Atumata Hingano | USA Sevens | 2 |
| 14. Bulou Mataitoga | Loughborough Lightning | 17 |
| 15. Tess Feury (C) | Leicester Tigers | 26 |
| 16. Paige Stathopoulos | Beantown | 8 |
| 17. Catie Benson | Sale Sharks | 43 |
| 18. Maya Learned | Colorado Gray Wolves | 11 |
| 19. Emerson Allen | Life West / Rhinos | 0 |
| 20. Keia Mae Sagapolu | Leicester Tigers | 9 |
| 21. Sophie Pyrz | Life West / Rhinos | 0 |
| 22. Emily Henrich | Leicester Tigers | 16 |
| 23. Sariah Ibarra | USA Sevens | 0 |
USA Women’s Eagles Staff
Head Coach | Sione Fukofuka
Assistant Coach | Mel Bosman
Assistant Coach | Sarah Chobot
Team Doctor | Derek Hatfield
Head Athletic Trainer | Emily Lauer
ATC | Sam Malette
Lead Physical Performance Coach | Sylvia Braaten
Analyst | Caitlin Singletary
Team Manager | Lindsay Wilson