There's work to do for the USA women, but the good news is, they have a chance to show it.
Too often one-off test matches allow little opportunity to get a second chance to make a first impression. But on this trip to South Africa the Eagles will get that chance.
The Springboks stormed out to a 29-0 lead and the Eagles were somewhat overwhelmed.
Head Coach Jack Hanratty had spoken about South Africa's physicality, and the Eagles got it.
"They were as physical as we were expecting them to be, but we honestly just didn’t match it," said the coach. "We were to passive in all the contact areas and couldn’t play without the ball."
The Eagles also got a bit of tough luck.
Telesi Uhatafe almost intercepted a pass and would likely have been through under the sticks he she kept it. Instead she caught the ball and then had it ripped out of her hands in the same motion. Lock Vainah Ubisi then took off and set up South Africa's opening try.
That was tough, and perhaps a lessons for Uhatafe about making sure your big play doesn't leave a hole for someone to exploit.
For the second South Africa try the Eagles were sure they had held it up. But overall, close to the line, the Springboks were brutally powerful.
But on the other hand, the bench was impressive for the USA. Tessa Hann's excellent line from Bella Vogel's pass saw her cut right through and the offload of the deck for debutante Ashley Cowdrey was nice to see.
Hanratty praised the impact the team got from the bench, including Hann, Cookie Cook, and Kapoina Baile, adding that Cook and Cowdrey didn't play like it was their first time.
So lessons learned and work to do.
"A big week ahead," Hanratty told GRR. "No excuses; we just have to see a proper response in our environment and training field."
De La Salle HS
Saint Mary's (Rudy Scholz Finalist)
USA U20s (Captain)
USA Men's National 15s Team (Debut vs Georgia 2023 at age 20)
As a 17-year-old Spencer Huntley required a waiver to play for the USA U20s, an indication of how he was rated in the USA age-grade pathway. He got that waiver and impressed for the USA U20s, and then moved up to the USA U23s. He led the San Diego Mustangs to a national HS Club championship in 2024.
He also played in the SoCal single-school league for Cathedral Catholic.
Hope Rogers began playing rugby at age 16 in high school and continued to compete during her time at Penn State University. There, she won four National Championships, was crowned MVP on two occasions, was named to the USA Under-20s and earned Collegiate All-American honors for four years. Rogers was also an impressive discus player during her senior year in high school where she broke a school record and won Gold at Districts for the sport.
Mike played for Life College, Philly-Whitemarsh and played for the USA National 7s and 15s teams in the 1980s and 1990s.
He was also part of the Atlantis touring side, playing 7s for the team in several around the world.
