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The U.S. Women’s National Rugby Team begins its journey to qualify for the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup this month, selecting a 31-player traveling squad for the opening game of the 2024 Pacific Four Series. .
The Women’s Eagles, under the guidance of recently appointed head coach Sione Fukofka, will face continental rival Canada at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, Calif., as part of the annual Pacific Four Series. It will be the first home game since 2021. April 28th at 1:30pm PT.
This year’s Pacific Four Series, which involves the United States, Canada, New Zealand and Australia, also serves as a qualifier for both this year’s WXV 1 competition in Canada and next year’s Women’s Rugby World Cup in England.
The women’s Eagles finished fourth in last year’s Pacific 4 Series.
The top three teams in the Pacific Four Series will join the top three teams in the Women’s Six Nations later this year at WXV 1 (starting in September). Furthermore, in order to qualify for the Women’s Rugby World Cup, the United States must finish above Australia in the Pacific 4 Series standings to qualify for the Women’s Rugby World Cup by competing in WXV 2 in South Africa. Can’t get the right to participate. .
Canada and New Zealand have already qualified for the Women’s Rugby World Cup by reaching the semi-finals of the 2021 tournament.
As for the Eagles women’s squad that will face Canada, the biggest missing player is two-time Rugby World Cup veteran and captain Kate Zachary. She is recovering from an injury sustained in the U.S.’s 38-17 victory over South Africa in Fukowka’s first game. Last month she was appointed as head coach of the Women’s Eagles in England.
Back-rower Rachel Johnson (Zachary’s former teammate with England’s Exeter Chiefs Women’s) will take over as captain in Zachary’s absence, a USA Rugby news release said, adding that she will be captain for next month’s Pacific Four series against Australia and New Zealand. It was announced that he hopes to return to action. . Fellow Exeter Chiefs player Hope Rogers has the most caps of any Eagles women’s team player with 44.
Samantha Brackett, who plays for the San Clemente Rhinos at the club level, could be in line for her first senior cap as the only uncapped player on the team. Cassidy Bergel and Amanda Barta, newly capped players for the Women’s Eagles following the U.S. team’s victory over the Women’s Springboks, have also been named to the national team and will be part of the U.S. team for the game against Canada.
After playing against Canada, the Women’s Eagles will head to Oceania for the final two games of the Pacific 4 series, facing New Zealand in Hamilton on May 11th and Australia in Melbourne on May 17th.
“This team is a well-rounded group of players that allows us to play the style we strive for,” Fukofka said in a release. “While we will be without Kate Zachary for the first test of the Pacific Four Series, I am confident that our leadership group will fill that void and propel our team forward. The additions add speed and skill to the back three of Atumata Hingano and Autumn Czaplicki, and I’m looking forward to seeing them integrate into the team and compete for positions. We are confident in the players selected and look forward to building on the foundation established in the South African Test and taking on the Canadian challenge head-on.”
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