It’s now time for the North American block of the 2023-24 HSBC SVNS series, starting with Vancouver this Friday-Sunday, Feb. 23-25. The USA Rugby Women’s 7s team has named its 13-player travel squad for the fourth leg before returning close to home for the Los Angeles stop on March 1-3. [Lead photo: Alex Ho @hoiho_photo]
“We are really looking forward to getting up to Vancouver and back onto the field of play so quickly after the Perth competition,” USA Women’s 7s head coach Emilie Bydwell reflected on the Eagles’ 4th place finish in Australia. “We feel that we ‘laid more bricks in the wall’ with our Perth performance, improving on targeted aspects of play from Dubai and Cape Town. This was highlighted most specifically in our quarterfinal win against France who have been very dominant so far this season.
“We recognize, however, that we need to improve the consistency in which we deliver this type of performance and ultimately turn the dial up on our collective focus, intensity, and determination,” the coach added. “Perth reminded us all that standings and previous results bear no relevance to the game at hand. Every team needs to be prepared to show up and perform to earn a win.”
USA beats France in Perth QFs © 2024 Alex Ho (@hoiho_photo)
There have been three changes from the Perth travel roster. The injured Nicole Heavirland, Jaz Gray and Summer Harris-Jones have been replaced by now-healthy Lauren Doyle, who resumes her role as co-captain alongside Naya Tapper, Cheta Emba and Ari Ramsey. The Eagles will face Fiji, Japan and Australia in Pool B, and all games will be live-streamed for free on RugbyPass TV.
“We are looking to improve on our ability to play more quickly, execute our skills under pressure, be more dynamic on transition, and reduce our number of tries conceded when we lose possession,” Bydwell talked goals for Vancouver. “We know how small the margins are in sevens, so we feel that focusing on being 5 percent better in these areas will enable us to produce podium-level performances. Vancouver is a critical step for us as we build into LA, which will be an amazing experience and also a critical pressure test. We plan to go one game at a time and focus on being present in the moment.”
USA Women’s 7s | 2024 Vancouver SVNS
| Name | Position | HSBC Tournaments |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Cheta Emba | Prop | 31 |
| 2. Ilona Maher | Center / Prop | 25 |
| 3. Kayla Canett | Flyhalf | 24 |
| 5. Alev Kelter | Center / Prop | 42 |
| 6. Alena Olsen | Scrumhalf | 19 |
| 7. Naya Tapper (C) | Wing | 36 |
| 10. Steph Rovetti | Scrumhalf / Flyhalf | 11 |
| 12. Kristi Kirshe | Prop / Hooker | 21 |
| 13. Sarah Levy | Hooker | 6 |
| 17. Spiff Sedrick | Center | 15 |
| 21. Ariana Ramsey | Wing | 4 |
| 22. Sammy Sullivan | Prop / Hooker | 9 |
| 23. Lauren Doyle (C) | Flyhalf | 41 |
USA Women’s 7s Traveling Staff
Head Coach | Emilie Bydwell
Assistant Coach | Zack Test
Strength & Conditioning | Trey Ford
Athletic Trainer | Nicole Titmas
Sports Psychologist | Peter Haberl
USA Women’s 7s Vancouver Schedule
Friday, Feb. 23
v Fiji | 2:30pm ET
v Japan | 7:24pm ET
Saturday, Feb. 24
v Australia | 1:37pm ET
Quarterfinals begin 6:55pm ET
Sunday Feb. 25
Knockouts continue
Live on RugbyPass TV; semis and finals simulcast on Peacock