In a few days the USA Women will assemble for their first tests since the 2014 Rugby World Cup. Twenty-six players will head to Alberta, Canada, to face World Cup champion England, runner-up Canada, and 5^th place New Zealand during the Super Series (which is essentially the Nations Cup with New Zealand and South Africa swapped). With six World Cup veterans and four capped Eagles on the squad, the majority of the roster is young and untested; a world of experience awaits.

USA Women head coach Pete Steinberg chose his players from the National All Star Competition that was contested earlier this month. Only World Cup prop Sarah Chobot and capped lock Molly Kinsella were unavailable for the week-long assembling in Virginia.

“The senior play was very good, and all the games were very competitive with the outcome in doubt,” Steinberg remembered. “This is one of the goals of the NASC, to place the players under pressure to perform. We moved any U20 or college players that we thought could play at the seniors to that group.  One of the advantages was that we were able to move players up and down after the first game to make sure they were playing at the right level.”

Bailey Johnson was one player who earned promotion to the senior level, and Steinberg indicated that Nate Serevi, had she not returned early to Central Washington for exams, would have been moved up as well.

Many of the players heading to Canada, though uncapped, were part of that pool of players pressuring for a spot on the World Cup squad. Although it’s only been a year, Steinberg noted that several players have made measurable gains since he last saw them.

“Jess Wooden was the standout,” Steinberg said of the Atlanta fullback. “She scored tries in both games and was a real danger in the open field. She has been in the pool for a couple of years but the time she has spent in Little Rock [American Rugby Pro Training Center] has really helped her. 

“Sara Parsons, who was scouted by Jamie Burke at the D2 college playoffs, was another find,” Steinberg said of the UN Reno prospect. “Jordan Gray was outstanding in both games from No. 8, and Alycia Washington was the player of the match in the final.”

Parsons and Gray are part of the college contingent previously reviewed here, and Steinberg’s excited about what they bring to the table.

“The back row will be young but we are excited about their potential by 2017,” Steinberg looked toward the next World Cup. “We do not have any centers, wings and fullbacks with caps, so there will be a lot of learning in that group. They are extremely athletic and they will learn a lot in Canada. The tight five has much more experience and that will be important in the first game against England.”

Much like the last cycle, the experience is concentrated in the forwards, which means a blank slate for the backs. Remember that this World Cup cycle is only three years long, as opposed to four, and the tournament will be contested in Ireland in August 2017.

All games will be live-streamed via www.livestream.com/rugbycanadaofficial.

USA Women @ Super Series (all times MT)
Saturday, June 27: USA v. England (4 p.m.)
Wednesday, July 1: USA v. Canada (6:30 p.m.)
Sunday, July 5: USA v. New Zealand (4 p.m.)