Vancouver, BC (USA Rugby Release)—USA Women's 15s Head Coach Sione Fukofuka has announced his 30-player squad to travel to WXV 1 in British Columbia.
The team heads to Vancouver for their three-match series, where they will play England, France, and Ireland.
Captained by Kate Zackary, the squad includes returning legend Hope Rogers (2016 MA Sorensen Award), who rejoins the squad for the first time since their Pacific Four Series win against Australia in May. Alev Kelter comes into the 15s squad for the first time since the Rugby World Cup 2022. Following a bronze medal win at the Paris Olympics, Kelter begins working toward a berth at the Rugby World Cup 2025.
Several athletes from the USA Women’s Sevens program also join the Eagles traveling roster. Kris Thomas joins after returning from Paris as a traveling reserve for the Olympic team. Cheta Emba, who returns from playing for Barbairnas FC, Atumata Hingano, Joanne “Nana’ Fa’avesi, and Summer Harris-Jones join Thomas from the Sevens team.
Newly capped Eagles Sophie Pyrz, Tessa Hann, and Emerson Allen head to Canada as well, each having earned their first international test cap in Japan last month for a two-match warmup series for WXV.
The Eagles will convene this month ahead of their first WXV 1 test against England on Sunday, September 29, kicking off 3:30pm ET on Peacock.
“The squad was selected on the basis that WXV is a performance tournament for us," said Fukofuka. "And we wanted to select the strongest squad we had available. The players selected from their Pacific Four Series and Japan form have demonstrated development in their physical, technical, and tactical ability, and we are excited to test them in WXV 1. Kris, Cheta, and Alev join us from the Sevens program ready to make their mark back in the fifteens game after a successful time with the sevens program. We also welcome back the experience and on field presence of Kate, Rachel, and Hope, excited with the leadership that provides the team."
Last year the USA was bumped down to WXV 2, so making it to WXV 1 (thanks to that win over Australia) is a big step. Now, however, they want to log some wins. But Fukofuka doesn't want his team to get discouraged if they lose a game.
"Results are obviously important but we are also looking to continue to build key elements of our game and compete with the best teams in the world. We want to challenge ourselves to create a platform off our set piece and our ability to win collisions, and we want to keep expressing that Eagles DNA that the team wants to be known for.”
