As the USA Women approached the 2014 Women’s Rugby World Cup, head coach Pete Steinberg experimented with the lineup through the final warm-up tour in Europe, a month before the tournament. Players were re-introduced to the pool, combinations tinkered with – all in hopes of finding the roster that would make the “Final in ‘14” motto realize itself.

 

While the USA fell five places short of its goal, the team did enjoy various levels of success, and one of our favorites was a positional move for one player.

 

A former USA 7s resident, Sadie Anderson played a different position (flyhalf, fullback, wing, inside center) in each of the four 2014 tests preceding the World Cup. Teammates like Meya Bizer at 15 and Kimber Rozier at 10 emerged as favorites in their respective positions, and the 24-year-old seemed to be missing a home.

 

But when the USA launched into its World Cup campaign, it was clear that Anderson had found her fit at wing. Great foot speed and agility, with a healthy dose of feistiness, Anderson became a nice spark on the outside. She didn’t score tries or confound the defense (she did contribute eight points off the boot) but it wasn’t necessarily expected of her. In a tournament that started with a disappointing loss, Anderson was refreshing – waiting her turn, fighting for every inch against a defense that was ready for her – and the USA needed those invigorating moments.