York, England—USA head coach Sione Fukofuka announces his matchday 23 to play Samoa in their final Pool A match at York Community Stadium on Saturday.
While the forward pack, responsible for all five tries against Australia, is unchanged, the backs have a couple of changes, with Gabby Cantorna in at inside center, Emily Heinrich moving back to wing, and Cheta Emba not in the 23. In addition, former Belmont Shore standout Sariah Ibarra replaces Lottie Sharp at fullback.
These are very specific changes. Cantorna is a hard-running center who also can slide in at flyhalf. She is an outstanding goalkicker and kicker from the hand, and while McKenzie Hawkins has had a lot of be happy about this tournament, she has not been consistent in kicks to touch, especially the high-pressure kicks to touch after a penalty. In order to score points, the Eagles need to gain territory on those kicks and score from lineout plays. Cantorna could well be the one to help with that.
Meanwhile, Ibarra presents the future among the outside backs and she is a dangerous attacker as well as a strong open-field tackler. Sharp wasn't perfect in shutting down Australian line breaks, and Ibarra might be useful there. However, the key needs for the USA is points. They need points.
Part of that is the kicking game. Take a look at the reserves bench and you'll see Kristin Bitter and Alev Kelter on the bench. Both can kick as well as do other rugby-related things. Kelter could be a game-changer as an impact sub.
Meanwhile, Samoa Head Coach Ramsey Tomokino has made nine changes from the team that played England, four in the forwards and five in the backs, including two positional changes. Three players will earn their 10th international caps: vice-captain Denise Aiolupotea, Karla Wright-Akeli,
and Harmony Vatau, who moves to inside center to make room for Wright-Akeli, who moves to flyhalf from fullback.
