Tutukaka, NZL—USA Women's 15s Head Coach Rob Cain has named his side to play Italy in the Eagles' opener of the Rugby World Cup 2022 in New Zealand.
USA vs Italy kicks off Saturday October 8 at 7:45PM ET, streaming LIVE on Peacock and a delayed broadcast on CNBC at 1:00PM ET, Sunday October 9.
The USA Women’s Eagles have been in New Zealand for nearly two weeks now with regular training and groundwork filling their schedule, along with some special events mixed in to commemorate the occasion of a Rugby World Cup. The opening match against Italy is a very important one because a victory will almost assure the USA of a place in the quarterfinals, while a loss will make it much, much harder.
Italy is a physical side with not a little pace. They beat Scotland and Wales during the spring's Six Nations and pushed Canada as well.
In recent matches the Eagles have beaten Australia and Scotland, albeit by slim margins, and lost to England, New Zealand, and Canada. However, their recent 54-14 loss to England also showed flashes of offensive ability.
“Thank you for all the words of support, encouragement and messages shared this past week," said Cain. "Lots of work has gone into just being here to compete, lots of challenges have been faced as individuals and as a group, but collectively we are both determined and excited to get our Rugby World Cup games started. I want to congratulate everyone making their Rugby World Cup debut and for the handful of players who have managed to secure their place for a second time. Lastly, Hope, for what will be her third Rugby World Cup. All are wonderful achievements and testament to each player's drive, development and longevity of form.
"We have hit the ground running and spent the acclimation time refining the key areas we feel are both strengths and needs for improvement. Not having as many Test match opportunities in 2022 as other countries, we created the opportunity for a closed doors training session with Wales and want to thank them for such a beneficial session as we look to be best prepared before kickoff this Sunday.
"There has been lots of work put in since our arrival, but none more important than the nine players who have worked tirelessly to best prepare the people around them. Their efforts and altruism this week have really set the tone. Italy have been building a core of very experienced players for some time now, through the Six Nations and collectively are a tenacious team who thoroughly deserve their 5th world ranking. Italy's pack and ability to move the ball forward and create the type of speed and ball movement their team wants are key to their success. As a group we can't wait to get underway, to showcase our work, our identity and represent the USA Rugby family on the world's biggest stage."
