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The U.S. Women’s Eagles started the 2024 season with an impressive 38-17 victory against South Africa in a warm-up match ahead of the Pacific Four Series.
In his first game as head coach, Sione Fukowka saw his team score six tries, and they were actually more in control than the scoreline suggested. In any case, South Africa’s three tries cannot be called a perfect performance.
Georgie Peris-Redding scored a hat-trick and was named player of the match. Meanwhile, Cassidy Bergel and Amanda Berta both came off the bench to earn their first caps, becoming #323 and #324 for the Eagles, respectively. Mr. Burgel’s story is a moving one. That’s because she battled a very difficult health problem called severe acute ulcerative colitis, which required her to live, train, and play without a large intestine.
Meanwhile, Charlie Jacoby and Gabby Cantorna earned their 25th caps.
After celebrating their first win of 2024, the team will return home to prepare for the first game of the 2024 Pacific Four Series against Canada. Battle of the North American Borders will be held on Sunday, April 28th at Dignity Health Sports Park in Los Angeles. Tickets are available at usa.rugby/tickets.
In their first meeting in almost 11 years, Georgie Perris-Redding won a loose ball and crossed the try line within seconds, giving the Eagles the lead immediately after kick-off.
From there, America struggled to find a connection through much of the first half, and ended up defending their own try line on numerous occasions as South Africa held most of the ball. South Africa dominated in the scrum and a few penalties will leave the Americans looking at what they can improve on next month.
Penalties hurt the Americans, and South Africa put pressure on them looking for a chance to score, but the American defense held strong. However, Olivia Ortiz eventually found a gap from the lineout and broke through the middle of South Africa’s defensive line. Kate Zachary then offloaded to Kathryn Trader for America’s second try of the match. The Eagles’ confidence grew from there, as both teams worked hard to control the ball and keep their opponents out of scoring position. The Eagles’ hard work paid off as they were shut out in the first half and went into the final 40 minutes up 14-0.
South Africa started the second half and tried to win the ball back in the American scrum. But Georgie Peris-Redding was ready, picked the ball up at the ruck and ran up for another five points.
An American knock-on at the restart gave South Africa the lead, and the Springboks eventually scored with a maul. Ortiz sparked a reaction with a tap-and-go off a penalty and a combination with Mackenzie Hawkins. Hawkins chipped the ball downfield and Emily Henrich collected it and scored. This try started with Sorensen’s final, set by Sorensen’s winner and capped by another Sorensen winner.
South Africa started to concede small mistakes and gave the Eagles more attacking opportunities. A turnover by the Springbok women’s team caused Peris-Redding’s hands to rush forward, and Hawkins’ kick hit Lotte Clapp’s hands on the wing, resulting in a great try for the team.
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