The USA Women's National 15s team has confirmed its lineup to face Japan Saturday night at Wallis Annenberg Stadium on the UCLA Campus.

A robust crowd is expected to watch the Eagles and the San Diego Lions-vs-RFCLA MLR game doubleheader, but there do seem to be tickets available. You can buy tickets at usa.rugby/tickets.

This is a very experienced team, with Hope Rogers being honored for her 50th cap and captain Kate Zackary coming in with 40. It's interesting to note that 10 starters and 12 rostered players overall have 20 or more caps. Head Coach Sione Fukofuka said there just speaks to the team's continuity. That and the fact they got to play nine test matches last year.

Zackary Provides Example of How To Leave it Out on the Field

All of this has resulted in a team coming in understanding that they needed to do their homework, especially with Japan being a different team from Canada, New Zealand, or Australia. Players came into asembly 12 days ago ready to work, and as a result, said Fukofuka, that Day 2 was like Week 2 in another assembly.

Coaching continuity helps.

Fukofuka said coming in to coach this team at the end of 2023 wasn't like changing from one way of thinking for the players to another way, it was like changing from three or four ways of thinking to one way. That was 2024. Now they are one way.

"Wee had probably three or four different thoughts and playing styles and expectations from players from previous coaching, including club as well," Fukofuka told GRR. "So it probably was a bit of a harder job. I feel like the first few months, but the nice part is it has been consistent since then. So leading up into this camp, our staffing has primarily stayed the same, and it's not just coaches. It's support staff, or what goes on behind the scenes that nobody sees. The more you get all of that into place, the more you trust the day-to-day, you know you're going to be set up by success from every member of staff."

Eagle Women-You've Got to be Ready to be Ready

In this assembly, the Eagles have been sharing time in Southern California with Saturday's opponents, Japan. The two teams scrimmaged this past weekend, with both teams taking the opportunity to play their entire available roster. The result was some positive stuff for the USA team. They scored seven times and got an exciting try from wing Erica Coulibaly, a try that earned her a start this weekend. Flanker Tahlia Brody was player of the game for the Eagles, as she took her play and her work rate to another level.

But more than that, both the coaches and the Japan coaches noticed this was a much more physically punishing team than had faced the Sakura twice in August (tying 17-17 and winning 11-8). 

The lineup Fukofuka has settled on includes four MA Sorensen Award winners in props Hope Rogers and Keia Mae Sagapolu, flyhalf McKenzie Hawkins, and center Emily Henrich, plus Sorensen Award finalists Kristin Bitter, Cassidy Bargell, and starting scrumhalf Olivia Ortiz.