USA Rugby's Women's National Team has qualified for the IRB Women's Rugby World Cup in London, England in August and September of 2010 and the US Rugby Foundation is proud to have supported a film project geared for community outreach and fundraising for the WNT. The Eagles won the first official Women's Rugby World Cup in 1991, finished second in the two following World Cups (1994 and 1998) and ended the 2006 campaign with a 5th place finish despite a 4-1 record.

If they can prepare properly, the women stand a very strong chance of reaching their goal of a semi-final berth - and hopefully beyond - in the 2010 World Cup. Reaching the podium will be dependent on maximizing the amount of time spent in training and competition leading up to the World Cup. To achieve this, the team has planned an aggressive program of 80+ days of assembly, including four preparatory Test matches and a four-week World Cup Residency Training Camp.

The total cost for the 80+ days of assembly exceeds the team's budget by over $150,000 - so the team desperately needs help. With enough training time together, these athletes can put the USA into a World Cup final again. These women represent the true spirit of elite amateur athletics and they have made enormous financial and personal sacrifices to represent their country to the best of their abilities.

The US Rugby Foundation has supported the WNT and their quest for the World Cup by providing a grant to produce an inspirational film by Academy Award nominated Director and former Eagle, Amanda Micheli. The film can be viewed on the WNT website, www.weWaNTrugby.com, which also includes the 2010 WNT schedule, links and media covering the team's World Cup preparations, athlete profiles, and a donation link.

"We can't thank the US Rugby Foundation enough for their generous support of Amanda's film." said Alex Williams, USA Rugby's Women's High Performance Manager. "The video provides a moving and meaningful message about the athletes of the Women's National Team and the many young rugby players who both inspire and are inspired by them. I think the video will go a long way toward helping us to increase awareness of and support for this amazing team, as well as for all the young girls who are discovering the wonderful, empowering world of rugby."

Any questions about the WNT's Road to the World Cup or alternate donation options should be directed to Alex Williams.

from USA Rugby.org
2.24.10 - BOULDER, Colo. - With the Women's Rugby World Cup (WRWC) less than six months from kickoff, USA Women's National Team Head Coach Kathy Flores has announced the player pool and reserves currently under consideration for England 2010.

In the final push toward the Women's Rugby World Cup, the USA team will assemble for two skills camps, two test matches versus Canada at the annual CanAm competition in June, and a three-week July residency program, before finally departing for England on Aug. 8.

"We have selected a pool of players we feel will best contribute to the foundation and continued development of the squad who will represent the USA in the 2010 World Cup," Coach Flores said.

"In these final months of preparation, it is important to keep all pool players involved in trainings so any transitions can be seamless for the player and the team. Reserve pool players will also be involved in training opportunities, but not competition venues. However, they may have the opportunity to move up into the pool depending on injury or availability of pool players."

The Women's Rugby World Cup player pool includes six returning veterans from the USA Women's National Team that finished fifth at the 2006 World Cup in Edmonton - Claudia Braymer, Jamie Burke, Ashley English, Phaidra Knight, Mari Wallace and Kristin Zdanczewicz. Also named to the WNT pool are Lisa Butts, Farrah Douglas and Kim Magrini, who were named as non-traveling reserves for the 2006 tournament.

In the sixth Women's Rugby World Cup, the USA women will kick off pool competition versus Kazakhstan on Aug. 20, before facing Ireland on Aug. 24 and rounding out pool play against a dominant England squad on the 28th. Dependent on the results of the pool rounds, teams will be reseeded for the fourth round of play on Sept. 1 and close out the ranking matches on Sept. 5.

Tickets for the pool rounds at Surrey Sports Park, Guildford, as well as the finals and semifinals at the Twickenham Stoop will go on sale to the general public on Monday, March 22 via Ticketmaster.

For more information on the USA Rugby Women's National Team, visit http://www.usarugby.org/goto/Women_Eagles. To follow the WNT Eagles on their Road to the World Cup, check out http://www.wewantrugby.com. To learn more about the 2010 Women's Rugby World Cup, go to http://www.rwcwomens.com.

Check out the schedule page for an update on the Road to the World Cup.

from USA Rugby.org
2.8.10 - BOULDER, Colo. - Canterbury of New Zealand has retained its relationship with the USA Eagles and will continue to be the official National Team kit supplier of USA Rugby for the next four years.

"USA Rugby is excited to be partnering with the 'new look' Canterbury," USA Rugby CEO Nigel Melville said. "This deal ensures that all of our National Teams will benefit from playing in world class high performance rugby apparel over the next quadrennial."

Recently, Canterbury has been recognized for its contemporary lifestyle clothing range that depicts the heritage, soul and authenticity of the brand. This range will now expand throughout North America over the coming months and is expected to be a great success.

"USA Eagles is a great addition to our already impressive stable of elite rugby teams. Their rise up the IRB rankings and recent qualification for the 2011 Rugby World Cup further underpins the growth and focus of rugby in a territory not widely associated with the sport. We are very proud to continue this union and hope their success on the pitch is coupled with fruitful and prosperous relationships off the field," Chris Stephenson, Canterbury CEO, states.

from USA Rugby.org
LAKELAND, Fla. - The USA Women's National Team (WNT) held on to a slim 11-10 victory over their Canadian counterparts when the two-match Atlantic Cup competition wrapped up at Lakeland's Lake Parker Park on Saturday.

"I think that the difference between the two matches is that our forwards really went after it at the point of contact, which is what we were lacking in the first match," US Head Coach Kathy Flores said. "Unfortunately, I think we need a little bit of work in our backline because we're tending to run away from the ball instead of running through it."

Following a disappointing loss in the Atlantic Cup opener, the USA took the field with a new air of confidence this time around and put up an aggressive front from start to finish. The USA found itself safely within scoring range throughout the first half, but in the evenly paired match neither side could get an edge up in the first 40 minutes.

Although penalties gave the Canadians a chance to kick for posts, from nearly 40 meters out, the gusty conditions sent the sides to the benches still locked in a 0-0 dead heat.

US Number 8 Blair Groefsema
fights for possession.
Photo: © Bill English

The second half saw the lead change multiple times before eventually ending in the USA's favor.

Inside minute 45, the USA was first to get on the board, following a penalty against the Canadians for not releasing. Flyhalf Stephanie Bruce effortlessly slotted a kick for posts from 22 meters out to put the Eagles up 3-0.

Less than five minutes later, the Canadians answered back with an Ashley Patzer try, which saw the lead shift to 5-3, as the fullback found space and broke into the corner. From a tough angle, the conversion was no good and left the door open for the U.S. to reclaim the lead 6-5, off the reliable foot of flyhalf Bruce. As the half pressed on, the Canadians found themselves shorthanded due to yellow card troubles and the U.S. took full advantage.

In a full team effort, Number 8 Blair Groefsema scooped the ball off the scrum and the ball cycled through the hands of Claudia Braymer and Ashley English before finding winger Vanesha McGee on the outside. McGee bolted down the line and stiff armed her way through Canadian defense to score in the corner to extend the lead to 11-5 with just over 10 minutes left to play.

Canada had one last chance for glory as the forwards steadily punched toward the tryline before finding outside center Mandy Marchak for the try that brought the tally within one point. However, the conversion was no good, and the U.S. hung on to win it 11-10.

"I was obviously happy with the outcome of the match; however, we still need to work on our fundamental skills and retaining the ball in contact," Flores added. "Overall, the team showed more confidence today - a switch triggered inside them where they were ready to rise to the challenge of defeating Canada."

With the victory, the Women Eagles end the tournament in a draw with Canada, following a disappointing 18-8 loss on Tuesday, Jan. 12. The next stop on the USA Women's National Team's road to the Women's Rugby World Cup sees the team assemble in April to continue fine-tuning and engage in intra-squad matches.

View a photo gallery of the match courtesy of Bill English.

Read more about the match at: Rugby Magazine.com.

USA 11
Try: Vanesha McGee PKs: Stephanie Bruce (2)

1. Jamie Burke, 2. Lisa Butts, 3. Lara Vivolo (repl. by Farrah Douglas @ 73:25), 4. Stacey Bridges (repl. by Sharon Blaney @ 2:42), 5. Jillion Potter (repl. by Stacey Bridges @ 10:23), 6. Kristin Zdanczewicz, |7. Beckett Royce (repl. by Mel Denham @64:50), 8. Blair Groefsema 9. Claudia Braymer, 10. Stephanie Bruce (repl. by Melissa Kanuk @60:37), 11. Victoria Folayan (repl. by Christy Ringgenberg @ 64:50), 12. Emilie Bydwell, 13. Lynelle Kugler, 14. Vanesha McGee, 15. Ashley English

Canada 10
Tries: Ashley Patzer, Mandy Marchak

1. Leslie Cripps (c) (repl. by Kristy Sargent @ 28:30), 2. Kim Donaldson, 3. Marlene Donaldson (Leslie McKenzie @ 60:37), 4. Danielle Rowlands (repl by Paige Burdett-Knauff @ half), 5. Araba Chintoh, 6. Heather Jaques, 7. Shannon Kane (repl. by Leslie McKenzie @ 41 front row, repl by Barbara Mervin @ 45:35), 8. Jen Kish, 9. Julia Sugawara, 10. Brooke Hilditch, 11. Brittany Waters, 12. Sarah Ulmer (repl. by Anna Schnell @ 52 min), 13. Mandy Marchak, 14. Andrea Burk (Darcy Patterson @ 54:36), 15. Ashley Patzer (vc)

The US U20 Team before the match. Photo: © Bill English

US U20 12 - Canada 13

Earlier in the afternoon, the USA Under-20 Women's National Team was edged out, 13-12, by the Canada U-20 WNT in the curtain raiser match.

Photo: © Bill English

In an evenly contested first half, neither team got on the board until a penalty against the USA gave Canada its only three points of the half.

Down but not out, the USA kicked into high gear before the close of the half. BrieAnna Barto was first to strike, pushing over the line for a try. Anne Lee's accurate conversion brought the USA out front and number 8 Candace Barley brought the score to 12-3 at halftime.

However, the second half did not play to the USA's favor. Canada's Misha Maric scored early in the half to pull her team within striking distance at 12-8. Although the USA Under-20s defended well, Canada spent much of the second half pressuring toward the U.S. tryline and with under five minutes to go, Katie McNally dotted down to go ahead 13-12 where the score held until the end.

View a photo gallery of the match courtesy of Bill English.

Canada Under-20 Women 13, USA Under-20 Women 12
(Halftime USA 12, Canada 3)

USA 12
Tries: BrieAnna Barto, Candace Barley
Conversion: Anne Lee

1. Wendy Sherman, 2. Katherine Hathaway, 3. Brittany Rose (Rachel Ryan @ 45:30), 4. Katherine Humphreys, 5. Margaret Reidy (Sharron Gianessi @70:01), 6. Kathryn Johnson (Amee Svatos @50:05), 7. Jozy Gessner, 8. Candace Barley, 9. BrieAnna Barto, 10. Lauren Danielson, 11. Anne Lee, 12. Kandis Ruiz, 13. Morgan Rovetti 14. Seymira Salamy, 15. Sadie Anderson

Canada 13
Tries: Misha Maric, Katie McNally
PK: Tia Croteau

1. Jacqui Laidler, 2. Maggie Cogger-Orr (Meagan Chambers @56:12), 3. Randi Hunter (Stacie Becker @52:48) 4. Misha Maric, 5. Morganne Linthwaite, 6. Ellen McGregor (Stacey Hake @40), 7. Jessica Jacobs (Danika Gulliford @59:40), 8. Kelsey Willoughby, 9. Alex Hendricks, 10. Laurie Biewald (Casey Thorburn @68:10), 11. Magali Harvey (Katie McNally @40), 12. MacKenzie Higgs, 13. Amanda Thornborough, 14. Tia Croteau, 15. Kayla Moleschi

from USA Rugby.org
LAKELAND, Fla. - Despite shooting ahead to an 8-0 lead before the half, the USA Women's National Team was stopped short by the Canada Women in the opening match of the Atlantic Cup at Lake Parker Park on Tuesday afternoon.

"In the first half, the big difference was we were really moving forward and we needed to use the wind to our benefit. We didn't take advantage of the conditions as well as we should have," USA Women's National Team Head Coach Kathy Flores said. "I thought we came out hard initially, but in the second half we seemed a bit complacent. Instead of pushing ourselves, we started accepting and we started getting on the back foot."

In a story of two halves the U.S. came out strong in the early minutes and built momentum leading up to Nathalie Marchino's breakaway try in the 13th minute. In the windy conditions, the conversion was no good, leaving the scoreline at 5-0.

The Eagles caught another break in minute 22 when Canada inside center Sarah Ulmer was sent packing for the sin bin. USA flyhalf Hannah Stolba redeemed herself, effortlessly connecting the resulting penalty kick, to put her team up 8-0. Despite scrappy play from both sides, the score would hold until halftime.

However, following the break, Canada got its bearings and started to chip away at the USA lead. After seeing yellow in the first half, Sarah Ulmer was quick to strike in the second and touched down a try at minute 44. Anna Schnell booted the extras to pull Canada within reach.

Due to penalties against the Eagles, Canada built its lead to a 13-8 margin with less than 10 minutes left in play.

The USA Women pressed toward the Canada end, but skill and handling breakdowns held back their charge, eventually placing the ball in the hands of Canada wing Cheryl Phillips, who flew up the sideline to pull out to the final tally of 18-8.

"Canada definitely dominated us at the point of contact, which was something we had worked on heading into the game," Flores said. "The Canadians are an aggressive team, and we need to use this experience to improve our mental and physical toughness. This (performance) will not fly in a World Cup.

"It's great that we have such great opposition to push us, but we have to come out in the win column."

Following the Tuesday result, both sides will have a few days to regroup before facing a rematch at Lake Parker Park (adjacent to Tigertown Athletic Complex - 910 E Granada St., Lakeland) on Saturday, January 16.

Watch on the Web

Slated for a 3 PM (EST) kickoff, the match follows a curtain raiser featuring the USA Under-20 Women vs. the Canada U-20s (kickoff 1 PM). Both matches will be streamed online at USTREAM - USA Rugby. Admission to the games is free.

Ruck and Continuity Clinic

Veteran Men's Eagle lock Luke Gross will also be on-site on Saturday from 9 AM - 12 PM, to host a ruck and continuity clinic. Walk-up registration to the clinic is welcome at a rate of $10 for athletes and $20 for coaches. For more information, contact Mollie McCarthy

Canada 18, USA 8 (Halftime USA 8, Canada 0)

USA 8
Try: Nathalie Marchino
PK: Hannah Stolba
1. Farrah Douglas (Jamie Burke @ 57 min), 2. Mari Wallace (Kitt Wagner @ 65 min) 3. Naima Reddick* 4. Jillion Potter 5. Sharon Blaney 6. Melanie Denham 7. Phaidra Knight (Kristin Zdanczewicz @ 57 min) 8. Kate Daley* 9. Kim Magrini (C) 10. Hannah Stolba (Stephanie Bruce @ 68:50) 11. Nathalie Marchino (Ashley English @ 72 minutes) 12. Melissa Kanuk 13. Emilie Bydwell 14. Ashley Kmiecik 15. Christy Ringgenberg
*denotes 1st WNT cap

CANADA 18
Tries: Sarah Ulmer, Cheryl Phillips
Conversion: Anna Schnell
PK: Schnell (2)
1. Leslie Cripps (c) 2. Leslie McKenzie 3. Marlene Donaldson 4. Marie-Eve Brindamour-Carignan (Paige Burdett @ 44 min) 5. Megan Gibbs 6. Barbara Mervin 7. Gillian Florence (Jen Kish @ 53) 8. Kelly Russell 9. Laura Stoughton 10. Anna Schnell 11. Cheryl Phillips 12. Sarah Ulmer 13. Mandy Marchak 14. Julianne Zussman (Darcy Patterson @ 77) 15. Ashley Patzer

11.24.09 - from IRB.com
Rugby World Cup Limited (RWCL) has officially launched Women's Rugby World Cup 2010 with players from six of the nations who will be competing in the showpiece tournament of the Women's Game present at Twickenham on Monday.

Women's Rugby World Cup 2010 may be nine months away, but the official tournament website - www.rwcwomens.com - has now gone live and will provide news, features, statistics and player information in the build up to and during the event.

"It is particularly exciting to be launching Women's Rugby World Cup 2010 at a time when Women's Rugby is experiencing unprecedented growth and interest throughout the world and of course here in England," said Mike Miller, RWCL Managing Director.

"This year has been an historic one for Women's Rugby. Olympic Games inclusion will ensure that the sport has a profile around the world like never before, providing an exciting catalyst for further growth and development while reaching out to new audiences."

Match Schedule

11.18.09 - from USA Rugby.org
DUBLIN, Ireland - Rugby World Cup Limited (RWCL) has announced the pools for Women's Rugby World Cup 2010 in England.

The premier 15-aside tournament in the Women's Game, which will be played from August 20 to September 5, will feature three pools of four teams with defending champions New Zealand, hosts and 2006 runners-up England and 2006 bronze medallists France all ranked top seeds in their pool.

The unprecedented qualification process, which saw 16 teams compete for the six places available outside the automatically qualified teams, was completed when Kazakhstan defeated Japan 43-5 to claim a place in Pool B, while Sweden join Pool C in their first appearance on the Women's Rugby World Cup stage since 1998.

Pool A: New Zealand, Wales, Australia, South Africa
Pool B: England, USA, Ireland, Kazakhstan
Pool C: France, Canada, Scotland, Sweden

"Any Team Can Compete"

US Head Coach Kathy Flores said about the pools, "Having played England, currently the No. 2 team in the world, as often as we have, has driven the development of our team skill level faster than if we had waited to play them this year. We have competed against them three times in the past three years so it will be no surprise to play them in World Cup. That's not to say we take it for granted, only that we understand the necessity of our ball retention and recycling and quickly taking advantage of any opportunities that may arise.

Flores said, "though we may not know much about Ireland (competed fairly well against England, and in general, in 6 Nations) and Kazakhstan we will not underestimate anyone when it comes to the World Cup. I firmly believe on any day, any team can compete and win, regardless of standings.

How They Got There

New Zealand, England, France, Canada, USA and South Africa all qualified directly, with Wales and Ireland qualifying through the Six Nations, Sweden and Scotland from the European qualifiers in May, Australia as the Oceania qualifier and Kazakhstan from Asia.

Further Women's Rugby World Cup 2010 announcements, including format and match schedule, broadcast and the legacy programme will be made at the official tournament launch on Monday, November 23 at 11.00 GMT.

The launch will be held in the Shakespeare Room, South Stand, Twickenham. Attendees include Rugby World Cup Limited Chairman Bernard Lapasset, Martyn Thomas, Chairman of the RFU Management Board, and Gerry Sutcliffe MP, Minister for Sport.

Players from six of the participating nations will also attend the launch. England captain Catherine Spencer and her New Zealand counterpart Victoria Heighway will be joined by Canada's Mandy Marchuk, Non Evans of Wales, Ireland's Joy Neville and Sarah Gill of Scotland.

Senior representatives from Rugby World Cup Limited, including Managing Director Mike Miller and Kit McConnell, Head of Rugby World Cup, will be available for interview as will IRB Tournaments Manager Philippe Bourdarias.

12.19.09 - from USA Rugby.org
BOULDER, Colo. - The USA Rugby Women's National Team (WNT) will kick off the new year with a two-match Atlantic Cup series versus cross-border rivals Canada on Jan. 12 and 16, 2010 at Tigertown athletic complex in Lakeland, Fla.

Both Atlantic Cup matches, which provide crucial first steps in the team's preparation for the Women's Rugby World Cup, are set to kick off at 3 p.m. (EST) and will be webcast live via UStream. The USA Under-20 Women will also face off in a curtain raiser match against the Canada U-20s on Jan. 16 (kickoff - 1:30 p.m. EST).

"We are looking to keep the players very involved over the next year. Our biggest obstacle is the lack of time together and as we look ahead to the Women's Rugby World Cup, we must take full advantage of each assembly," Women's National Team Head Coach Kathy Flores said.

The USA last faced Canada in Nations Cup competition in August 2009, and edged out their northern neighbors 15-10 - the Women Eagles' first win versus Canada since 2006. Much of the USA's Nations Cup squad returns for the Florida assembly.

"Having beaten Canada in the last minute of our match in the Nations Cup shows that both teams are well matched and we expect these two matches to be no different," Flores added. "We expect fierce competition, as Canada has just played the French twice and beat them in their first test. However, as with any rivalry, we are prepared to battle for the win."

New additions to the squad since Nations Cup are forwards Naima Reddick and Kate Daley, who returns from injury, with Kelly Griffin joining the backline following an impressive season with the Berkeley All-Blues in the inaugural year of the Women's Premier League (WPL).

Forwards invited to the Atlantic Cup include:
Sharon Blaney (Beantown)
Stacey Bridges (Texas A&M)
Jamie Burke (Beantown)
Lisa Butts (At-Large)
Kate Daley (Keystone)
Melanie Denham (Beantown)
Farrah Douglas (Keystone)
Blair Groefsema (Berkeley All-Blues)
Phaidra Knight (New York)
Jillion Potter (Univ. of New Mexico)
Naima Reddick (Berkeley All-Blues)
Beckett Royce (ORSU)
Lara Vivolo (New York)
Kitt Wagner (Beantown)
Mari Wallace (Beantown)
Kristin Zdanczewicz (Minnesota Valkyries).

Backs include:
Claudia Braymer (Albany)
Stephanie Bruce (Berkeley All-Blues)
Emilie Bydwell (Beantown)
Ashley English (Berkeley All-Blues)
Victoria Folayan (Berkeley All-Blues)
Kelly Griffin (Berkeley All-Blues)
Melanie Kanuk (Minnesota Valkyries)
Ashley Kmiecik (ORSU)
Lynelle Kugler (Twin Cities Amazons)
Kim Magrini (Keystone)
Nathalie Marchino (Berkeley All-Blues)
Christy Ringgenberg (Minnesota Valkyries)
Hannah Stolba (Minnesota Valkyries).

Staff for the camp include:
Kathy Flores, Head Coach
Candi Orsini, Back Coach
Alex Williams, Technical Advisor Forwards
Krista McFarren, Technical Advisor Backs
Michelle Carrone, Strength and Conditioning
Lisa Bartoli, Doctor
Ginger Stringer, Manager

The Atlantic Cup is the USA's first stop on its road to the Women's Rugby World Cup in England from Aug. 20 - Sept. 5, where the team is set to face 2006 runners-up England, Ireland and Kazakhstan in Pool B competition.

"I am continually impressed with the dedication and determination shown by our athletes in their journey to the Women's Rugby World Cup. We've put together an ambitious schedule for 2010, with a goal of 100 days of assembly, and every single athlete is committed to that goal despite personal and financial sacrifice," Women's High Performance Manager Alex Williams said. "They are true examples of elite-level amateur athletes and wonderful role models for all the girls in this country who dream of one day becoming an Eagle."

Rookie Rugby Clinic

Geared toward the future generations of USA Eagles, the Women's National Team and WNT coaches will host a Rookie Rugby clinic on Friday, Jan. 8 from 3 - 4:30 pm (EST), also at the Tigertown complex in Lakeland, Fla. Athletes, coaches and rugby supporters alike are invited to attend the event, which include skills tests and demonstrations, practice drills and information sessions. For more information, visit USA Rugby.org.

Media interested in attending the Atlantic Cup or the ancillary events should contact Ashley Voss.

12.2.09 - from USA Rugby.org
BOULDER, Colo. - The Women's National Team (WNT) wrapped up a successful 2009 season with a final three-day camp at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, Calif. on Nov. 26-28.

Overall, the camp provided a strong finish to a year that saw the WNT compete in five Test matches, including a promising second place finish in the Nations Cup tournament in August.

"This camp was about introducing associated techniques to improve our decision making through vision and reaction control and making sure we are on track to reach our fitness goals as we head into the World Cup year," Women's National Team Head Coach Kathy Flores said.

"We also introduced new skills and explored their effectiveness while continuing to fine tune our contact skills. Strategy work was limited to working through areas of the field with smaller intervals of time to introduce an element of pressure and develop consistency in our attack."

The team spent Thanksgiving morning with WNT Strength and Conditioning Coach Michelle Carrone, completing fitness testing and honing weight room techniques. In the afternoon, the athletes broke into sub-units for work with Head Coach Kathy Flores and Assistant Coach Candi Orisini. In the holiday spirit, the team was rewarded for its hard work with a delicious Thanksgiving dinner prepared by the OTC staff, followed by a group outing to the movies.

On Friday, the group was split for much of the day, with the forwards spending significant time on set piece work and reaction techniques, while the backs focused on problem solving and vision and reaction drills. In the afternoon, National Panel Referee Nic Rocono officiated some spirited intra-squad scrimmaging.

The final assembly day on Saturday saw the addition of Kicking Specialist Jarred Powers, who worked on kicking technique with the backs, assisted by Richie Walker. Much of the rest of the day was spent on live play sessions.

Next for the Women Eagles

Next up for the Women Eagles are two Test matches against Canada in January 2010. The matches are set to kick off at Tigertown, in Lakeland, Fla. The first is scheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 12 and the second follows on Saturday, Jan. 16. These matches are a vital step in the team's preparations for the Women's Rugby World Cup, which is to be held in London from Aug. 20 to Sept. 5, 2010.

Please visit www.usarugby.org/goto/women_eagles for more information on the WNT's 2010 schedule and World Cup preparations.

Elite Camp Attendees

1. Stacy Baker, Keystone
2. Sharon Blaney, Beantown
3. Stacy Bridges, Texas A&M
4. Stephanie Bruce, Berkeley
5. Jamie Burke, Beantown
6. Lisa Butts, Berkeley
7. Emilie Bydwell, Beantown
8. Kate Daley, Keystone
9. Mel Denham, Beantown
10. Farrah Douglas, Keystone
11. Ashley English Berkley
12. Victoria Folayan, Berkeley
13. Kelly Griffin, Berkeley
14. Blair Groefsema, Berkeley
15. Katy Hertel, Valkyries
16. Melissa Kanuk Valkyries
17. Ashley Kmiecik, ORSU
18. Phaidra Knight, NYRC
19. Lynelle Kugler, Amazons
20. Kim Magrini, Keystone
21. Nathalie Marchino, Berkeley
22. Vanesha McGee, NYRC
23. San Juan Moreno, ORSU
24. Jillion Potter, Valkyries
25. Rachel Reddick, Berkeley
26. Christy Ringgenberk, Valkyries
27. Beckett Royce, ORSU
28. Hannah Stolba, Valkyries
29. Jossy Tseng, Berkeley
30. Lara Vivolo, NYRC
31. Kitt Wagner, Beantown
32. Mari Wallace, Beantown
33. Sarah Walsh, Valkyries
34. Kristin Zdanczewicz, Valkyries

11.26.09 - Following the announcement of the brackets and match schedule for the 2010 World Cup, US Head Coach Kathy Flores is leading an elite roster of invited players for a "Thanksgiving Camp" held at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, CA. The Elite Camp will extend from November 25 - 29.

Coach Flores said, "In this last year and build up to the World Cup, we want the players to be around athletes who are as dedicated, committed and as hard working as they are. I am excited to have the opportunity to stay on-site at the Olympic Training Center. The staff and I are gratified at the response of the players attending this very important camp.

Elite Camp Attendees

1. Stacy Baker, Keystone
2. Sharon Blaney, Beantown
3. Stacy Bridges, Texas A&M
4. Steph Bruce, Berkeley
5. Jamie Burke, Beantown
6. Lisa Butts, Berkeley
7. Emilie Bydwell, Beantown
8. Kate Daley, Keystone
9. Mel Denham, Beantown
10. Farrah Douglas, Keystone
11. Ashley English Berkley
12. Victoria Folayan, Berkeley
13. Kelly Griffin, Berkeley
14. Blair Groefsema, Berkeley
15. Katy Hertel, Valkyries
16. Mel Kanuk Valkyries
17. Ashley Kmiecik, ORSU
18. Phaidra Knight, NYRC
19. Lynelle Kugler, Amazons
20. Kim Magrini, Keystone
21. Nathalie Marchino, Berkeley
22. Vanesha McGee, NYRC
23. San Juan Moreno, ORSU
24. Jillion Potter, Valkyries
25. Naima, Reddick, Berkeley
26. Christy Ringgenberk, Valkyries
27. Beckett Royce, ORSU
28. Hannah Stolba, Valkyries
29. Jossy Tseng, Berkeley
30. Lara Vivolo, NYRC
31. Kitt Wagner, Beantown
32. Mari Wallace, Beantown
33. Sarah Walsh, Valkyries
34. Kristin Zdanczewicz, Valkyries

10.9.09 - from USA Rugby.com
The global Rugby family are celebrating the announcement that Rugby Sevens will be included at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

An overwhelming vote in favour of inclusion by the International Olympic Committee members at the 121st Session in Copenhagen means that the world's top men's and women's Rugby players will have the opportunity to compete for an Olympic Gold medal, the pinnacle of sporting achievement.

Bernard Lapasset, President of the International Rugby Board, said: "This is a historic moment for our sport and for the global Rugby community, who were united in support of our campaign."

"We are excited and honoured to be joining the Olympic Games and I would like to thank the IOC members for believing in our Olympic vision and our values and recognising that Rugby Sevens is a perfect fit for the Olympic Games."

"The Olympic Games will be the pinnacle of the sport for all our athletes and the Rugby family. The best men's and women's players in the world are excited to be able to showcase their talent on the world's greatest sporting stage."

"We are now looking forward to working in partnership with the IOC to develop and implement a Rugby Sevens tournament in Rio that will reach out to new audiences and inspire a new generation of sports fans around the world," added Lapasset.

Check out Rugby Sevens new video, "Reaching Out."

10.29.09 - from USA Rugby.org
USA Rugby is accepting applications for the position of Head Coach of the Women's National Sevens team for 2010. All interested applicants should submit a CV and cover letter detailing their qualifications and plans for the program. The program plan should cover specific goals and strategies for the year 2010, as well as long-term program goals and strategies through the Olympics in 2016, as per the position description below.

Position Description

The duties of the Head Coach of the USA Women's National Sevens Team shall be to identify and develop athletes, coach the Team for all upcoming elite camps, tournaments and test matches, and guide the direction of the Team. The Head Coach will also be expected to serve as a mentor to players and other coaches interested in being involved in the Women's National Team Sevens program.

Additional responsibilities include:

• Working with the Women's High Performance Manager to develop a multi-year program plan for athlete identification, training and competition that aligns with USA Rugby's and the overall Women's High Performance Plans.
• Working to identify, assess, select and recruit player talent.
• Designing, planning and implementing a coaching program that supports participants' development needs including: annual planning incorporating periodization, team and individual player development; game planning considering team, opponent and environmental characteristics; and session planning based on evaluation of team and individual play.
• Analyzing team and player performance levels and progress against program/session goals using a variety of methods including notational, statistical and video based systems which incorporate the individual player.
• Involving players in analysis of performance needs and aspirations.
• Applying an effective combination of personal attributes and skills such as leadership and communication methods in order to manage a dynamic and diverse team environment.
• Ensuring that players are fit to participate based on appropriate medical advice and against appropriate playing fitness standards as set by the WNT Strength & Conditioning Coach.
• Assisting as may be necessary and appropriate in sponsorship fulfillment and in support of fundraising efforts for the Women's National Team.
• Serving as an ambassador for the sport and for USA Rugby at all times.
• Modeling, teaching and reinforcing ethical behavior throughout the program
• Following all rules of the International Rugby Board, United States Olympic Committee or International Olympic Committee.

Position Term & Compensation

The appointment term for the position will be for one year, 2010, with the option to renew for one or more years.

The position is considered part-time and compensation will be limited to a per diem earned during days of team assembly. The Women's Sevens Head Coach will report to USA Rugby's Women's High Performance Manager.

Application Process

Please visit http://usngbjobs.teamworkonline.com/teamwork/jobs/jobskey.cfm?s=rugby to apply for this position. All applications must be received through this online process.

Application Timeline

Applications must be received by Wednesday, November 11, 2009. Those applicants selected for interviews will be notified by Wednesday, November 18, 2009. Interviews will take place by Wednesday, December 9, 2009 and the final selection will be made and announced by Friday, December 18, 2009.

10.6.09 - BOULDER, Colo., from USA Rugby.com
The USA Women's National Sevens Team is set to assemble at the National Training Center in Clermont, Fla., on Friday, October 9, in an effort to develop the players into world class competitors. Coincidently, that is the same day, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) will vote on whether to include Rugby Sevens as an Olympic sport in 2016.

"A positive vote will be a monumental development for all of rugby, especially Sevens," said Sue Parker, Head Coach of the Women's National Sevens Team.

As the rugby world waits for the IOC's final approval, Parker is eager to continue the U.S. Women's Sevens progress. Under previous Head Coach Julie McCoy, the Women's National Sevens Team recently finished third in the inaugural Women's Sevens World Cup behind Australia and New Zealand and Parker has no doubt that with proper program development and adequate support, the program could challenge for a gold medal in 2016.

The primary purpose of this upcoming training camp is to teach players how to develop in each of the five areas: mental, physical, technical, tactical, and team. The developmental process will begin at camp with player assessments in each of the five areas. Over the course of the camp, the players will be given tools to be implemented on a daily basis to maximize their development in each area.

"It is the staff's hope that each player will leave camp with a greater understanding of the game of sevens rugby, of their strengths and weaknesses as players, and an individualized developmental program in each of the key areas," Parker said.

Unlike men's international rugby, which started 138 years ago when England first played Scotland, women's international rugby is still a relatively new phenomenon. Since their first match in 1987, the Women's National Team has seen success from its very onset. Being one of the first nations to play women's rugby, the U.S. has been able to compete at the highest level from the beginning and continues to be one of the world's top teams.

Head Coach Parker hopes to push the U.S. Women's reputation for excellence to new heights with a medal in the 2016 Olympic Games. And the best way to do that is to promote and expand participation in the sport, and to develop potential players into world class athletes.

Women's rugby is among the fastest growing segments of the game in the United States. From 1993 to 2003, women's rugby exploded across the U.S., starting first on college campuses and moving to senior club sides. In the past 10 years, women's rugby has grown by 235 percent, increasing from 6,104 players in 1999 to 20,430 by the end of 2008.

This unprecedented increase is due in part because it's one of the few full-contact sports where women play by the same rules as men. Not to mention that rugby has a core set of values that promotes fair play, friendship, respect and excellence.

Rugby sevens is a version of the 15s game that features only seven players per team, playing seven minute halves on the same size pitch as a 15s match. Rugby sevens offers a spectacle of non-stop action where speed, skills, and athleticism rule the day. Worldwide, the sport has 87 men's and women's international teams competing.

The sevens game is popular at all levels, with amateur and club tournaments generally held in the summer months. Notable international competitions include the IRB Sevens World Series and the Rugby World Cup Sevens. Rugby sevens is also played at some multi-sport events such as the Commonwealth Games, the World Games and was recently adopted into the Pan American Games.

The next event for the Women's Sevens Team is the Dubai International Sevens Tournament on December 4-5, 2009.

Women's National Sevens Camp attendees include:

1. Sadie Anderson (Penn State WRFC)
2. Annie Antar (Atlanta Harlequins Women's Rugby Club)
3. Jeanna Beard (Severn River Rugby Women)
4. Ida Bernstein (Keystone Rugby Club)
5. Beth Black (Northern Virginia WRFC)
6. Brenna Costello (Washington WRFC)
7. Katie Dowty (Beantown WRFC)
8. Jenna Flateman (New York Rugby Club)
9. Kelly Griffin (Berkeley All Blues Rugby Club)
10. Allyson Hemstreet (Berkeley All Blues Rugby Club)
11. Lisa Henneman (Penn State WRFC)
12. CJ Hildreth (Northern Virginia WRFC)
13. Lauren Hoeck (Northern Virginia WRFC)
14. Tess Kohanski (Syracuse University Women's Rugby Club)
15. Jenny Lui (Chicago North Shore WRFC)
16. Jen Nelson (Kansas City Jazz Rugby Football Club)
17. Christiane Pheil (University of Colorado Women's Rugby Club)
18. Alison Price (Brandywine Women's Rugby Club)
19. Emily Record (Philadelphia WRFC)
20. Lauren Rosso (Keystone Rugby Club)
21. Kelly Seary (Beantown WRFC)
22. Lauren Shaughnessy (Emerald City Mudhens Women's Rugby Club)
23. Lindsey Stephenson (Buffalo Women's Rugby Club)
24. Jossy Tseng (Berkeley All Blues Rugby Club)
25. JoAnne Ward (Albany Knickerbocker Women's Rugby Club)
26. Alison Worman (Keystone Rugby Club)
27. Dianna Zempel (MARFU 15's)

Sevens Coaching Staff Includes:

• Suzanne Parker (Head Coach)
• Peter Baggetta (Assistant Coach)
• Jonathan Griffin (Assistant Coach)
• Peter Steinberg (Assistant Coach)
• Kellie Cavalier (Manager)

8.31.09 - from USA Rugby.org
NEW YORK - Following two days of stiff competition on Randall's Island in New York City, the Northeast women's team and the West men's side walked away with their respective All-Star Sevens Championship titles, earning themselves bragging rights throughout the next year as they both finished the tournament undefeated.

The Northeast Rugby Union (NRU) Women's All-Star Team worked the Pacific Rugby Union in its first round on Sunday, beating the Grizzlies 12-5 and moving on to meet the Mid-Atlantic (MARFU) Women's Team in the final after the Mid-Atlantic team successfully handled the USA Development side earlier in the day.

The Women's Championship match actually saw the local side get off to a slow start as MARFU scored first and the Northeast found itself trailing for the first time all weekend. The Northeast wound up taking back the lead in the second half, however, scoring its second unconverted try of the match and holding its Mid-Atlantic competition scoreless for over 15 minutes of play. (Finals in the All-Star Championships consisted of 10 minute halves.)

The NRU has now secured their fourth title in five years, continuing their domination of opponents with great team work and a consistent aggressive style.

"Obviously we are very happy," Northeast Women's Coach Chris Ryan said. "It was a really good week and we couldn't have asked for a better outcome. We had a lot of local support and MetNY hosted a great event. Hopefully there are many more like this in the future."

In the Bowl bracket, the Midwest fell hard in the final to the South, 34-0.

For more information and tournament photos go to www.newyorkallstarsevens.org, or follow the tournament on twitter and facebook at http://twitter.com/NASC7 or http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/event.php?eid=114750347901&ref=ts.

National All-Star Sevens Sunday Match Results
South 25, Southern Cal 5 - Bowl Semis
Midwest 12, West 7 - Bowl Semis
Northeast 12, Pacific 5 - Cup Semis
MARFU 17, Under-23s 7 - Cup Semis
West 27, SoCal 0 - Consolation (7th/8th)
South 34, Midwest 0 - Bowl Final
Pacific 12, U-23s 10 - Plate Finals
NRU 10, MARFU 7 - Cup Finals

National All-Star Sevens Saturday Match Results
Pacific 15, Southern Cal 5
Mid-Atlantic 12, West 0
Northeast 7, Midwest 0
Under-23s 10, South 0
Mid-Atlantic 13, Pacific 10
West 36, Southern Cal 0
Northeast 27, U-23s 0
South 22, Midwest 7
Pacific 17, West 0
Mid-Atlantic 25, Southern Cal 0
U-23s 24, Midwest 10
Northeast 19, South 0

8.25.09 - From USA Rugby.org
MARKHAM, Ontario - The USA Women's National Team battled through soggy conditions at Fletchers Field to hang onto an overall second place Nations Cup finish, following a 15-15 draw versus France on Saturday afternoon.

With the tie, the Eagles earned two points in the Nations Cup standings to finish in second place, behind defending champions England, and narrowly escape the grasp of cross-border rivals Canada (4th). In their debut Nations Cup showings, France and South Africa finished third and fifth place, respectively.

"Overall, I'm happy with our performance over the course of the tournament and impressed by the progress we've made as a team, "USA Women's National Team Head Coach Kathy Flores said. "We came here hoping to win at least two of our games and after achieving that goal, we would have been thrilled to earn a third win today."

Both sides looked hungry to finish their 2009 Nations Cup campaigns with a victory and launched into a physical battle from the beginning. The Eagles put up a strong fight against an aggressive French side, but as playing conditions continued to decline in the second half, slight skill breakdowns were magnified.

"I think France was much more physical and played a more heads up game at the breakdown. We didn't take full advantage of our opportunities and did not capitalize on what could have been game changing chances right inside the 22, " Flores added.

France was first to strike inside the ninth minute, as flying winger Celine Allainmat scored the first of her pair of tries, sneaking into the corner to shoot the French ahead 5-0.

The U.S. caught a few breaks deep into French territory, but did not fit all of the pieces in the puzzle together until the 22nd minute. In a fluid team effort, the Eagles skipped the ball out wide, where Victoria Folayan stood waiting in the wings.

With some fancy stepping, Folayan juked the France defense to bring the Eagles to a level tally, 5-5, where it would hold until the break, thanks to the stiff U.S. defense. France took its chances on a 40-meter penalty kick attempt just before the break, but it was not to be.

The skies opened up to welcome both side back for a waterlogged second half. Despite the slick field conditions, the French backline worked through the U.S. defense and with less than five minutes gone, had pressed in past the U.S. 22 meter line.

The Eagles defending their line tenaciously, but again France #11 Allainmat could not be contained, dotting down for her second try and giving France a 10-5 advantage following the wide conversion.

Not ready to go down without a fight, a fire ignited in the Eagles offense and the U.S. soon stormed downfield to retaliate. Inside minute 11, center Lynelle Kugler broke several tackles to find space on the outside and even the score at 10-10.

Less than two minutes later, Mel Denham found some running room and charged the Eagles back into French territory. The ball cycled through the backs until finding Christy Ringgenberg, who slid in to give the Eagles the 15-10 lead.

France continued to apply pressure as toward the USA try line as the half wound to a close, and the Eagles got a needed boost from key substitutions in the pack.

A back and forth battle waged for the game-clinching try and at the 80 minute mark, the French were within striking distance. The U.S. line put up an impressive showing to keep their opponents at bay until a knock on by France meant the final whistle, with both teams stuck at 15 points.

For more information on the USA Women's Team, including daily blogs from the Nations Cup, visit www.usarugby.org/goto/women_eagles.

Watch the match on-demand on USTREAM - USA Women Eagles vs France.

Photographer Bill English has graciously allowed fans of the Women Eagles to view and download photos from the US vs France Nations Cup match. Special acknowledgement to Pro Photo Rental, a Women's National Team sponsor. Photos are the copyright of Bill English. Players, family and fans of the team may freely view, download and print them for personal use only. Commercial use without prior written/email consent is strictly forbidden.

USA vs Canada Photo Gallery

USA 15, France 15 (Halftime USA 5, France 5)

USA
Tries: Folayan, Kugler, Ringgenberg

1. Farrah Douglas (repl. by Baker), 2. Kittery Wagner (repl. by Lisa Butts), 3. Jamie Burke, 4. Stacey Bridges, 5. Beckett Royce, 6. Mel Denham, 7. Kristin Zdanczewicz (repl. by Phaidra Knight), 8. Blair Groefsema, 9. Kim Magrini, 10. Stephanie Bruce (repl. Amy Daniels), 11. Victoria Folayan (repl. by Ashley English), 12. Mel Kanuk, 13. Lynelle Kugler, 14. Ashley Kmiecik, 15. Christy Ringgenberg

NATIONS CUP RESULTS
Ontario, Canada

August 10
France 17, South Africa 17
England 36, USA 7

August 13
England 43, France 8
Canada 35, South Africa 17

August 16
USA 39, South Africa 0
France 12, Canada 7

August 19
England 25, South Africa 0
USA 15, Canada 10

August 22
USA 15, France 15
England 22, Canada 0

The U.S. Womens Rugby Team would like to acknowledge its partners:

The US Womens Rugby Foundation, founded in 2005, is a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization dedicated to promoting girls and women in the sport of rugby. The Foundation is committed to fostering and sustaining the growth of rugby by working to assure girls and women have a voice, an agency, and the opportunities to participate. To learn more about the Foundation go to http://www.uswrf.org.

Pro Photo Rental specializes in providing convenient and cost-effective rentals on all top quality photography equipment, including a huge selection of Canon, Nikon and Olympus lenses, camera bodies and accessories. For more information, please visit http://www.prophotorental.com.

Please join the WNT in supporting the Avon/Love Army of Women, an organization that is seeking to recruit one million women nationwide to help researchers learn what causes breast cancer and move beyond a cure to prevention. Women across the U.S. are encouraged to be one in a million by learning more and signing up at http://www.armyofwomen.org.

USA vs Canada Photo Gallery

8.13.09 - from IRB.com
The International Rugby Board (IRB) is delighted that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Executive Board has recommended Rugby Sevens as one of two sports for inclusion in the Olympic Games.

Bernard Lapasset, President of the IRB, said: "We would like to thank the IOC Executive Board for selecting Rugby Sevens from what are seven strong and diverse sports. We recognise the significance of this milestone in our campaign but are also mindful that the ultimate decision rests with the IOC members when they meet in Copenhagen on October 9 2009.

"The Olympic Games would be the pinnacle of the sport for all our athletes and the Rugby Family, providing the opportunity for the best men's and women's players in the world to showcase their talent on the world's greatest sporting stage. The international Rugby community is united behind Rugby Sevens' campaign and we now look ahead to October."

More from IRB.com

IOC board backs golf, rugby for 2016 Olympics; women's boxing in for 2012

from Associated Press
BERLIN - International Olympic leaders are recommending golf and rugby for inclusion in the 2016 Summer Games while women's boxing will be on the program in London in 2012.

The International Olympic Committee executive board selected golf and rugby from a list of seven proposed sports. Failing to make the cut were baseball, softball, squash, karate and roller sports.

The board will submit golf and rugby for ratification by the full 106-member IOC assembly in Copenhagen in October.

More from the Canadian Press.

3.31.09 - Current Eagle Hooker Lisa Butts discusses what being an Eagle means to her. This series of videos, shot during the Women Eagles' last Nations Cup tour to England, shows a personal side to our hard-working Women Eagles.

View more "Being an Eagle" videos here.

8.20.09 - OAKVILLE, Ontario - A heart-stopping finish saw USA center Emilie Bydwell cross over at the death to give the Eagles a 15-10 Nations Cup victory over Canada on Wednesday evening at Appleby College.

With less than five minutes left to play, a wave of suspense rushed over the crowd as Canadian winger Tara Eckert found her way to the try zone, to pull the game into a deadlock, 10-10, when the conversion bounced from the uprights.

However, a focused team effort from the Eagles put the team out front just in time to usher in the sweet sound of the whistle - signaling the team's first victory versus Canada since 2006.

US center Emilie Bydwell prepares to score the winning try as time expires in the match.
(Photo: © Bill English)

"This win shows just how far our team has come since December. It's a true testament to how much we've come together on and off the field," Bydwell said following the thrilling win. "It's a huge step for us as we work toward the Rugby World Cup and a definite confidence boost - when we play hard as a team we can come up with the big play, whether its in the first minute or last minute of the game. All of us are just on top of the world right now."

In a physical first half, the Eagles struggled to settle into a steady forward rhythm, but defended their line ferociously as Canada pressed hard for the try zone.

Pinned deep into its own end, the U.S. team created a human shield through several phases and held the Canadians out for the first 20 minutes. A scrumdown to Canada saw the ball safely out to winger Brittany Waters, who caught a piece of space on the outside and bolted for the corner to give Canada a one-try advantage.

The Eagles' backline found its groove as the half pressed on and fluidly worked the ball into near scoring position, but handling errors proved costly against their worthy northern rivals, sending the squads to the benches locked at 5-0.

"We got off to a bit of a rocky start in the first half - we let our skills slip up and attempted a great deal of 50/50 passes. Credit to Canada for doing a great job of interrupting our flow and getting into our passing lanes," USA Women's National Team Head Coach Kathy Flores said. "However, in the second half we gradually gained momentum following a few key substitutions."

Down but not out, a resilient USA team took the field on the offensive in the second half. With less than 10 minutes gone, center Amy Daniels caught a hand on the ball and evaded the stiff Canadian defense to put the Eagles on the board. Stephanie Bruce converted to give the U.S. a slight edge.

The Eagles kicking game helped put down the Canadian counter attack, holding the tally at 7-5 until the U.S. caught a penalty kick opportunity inside the 65th minute. Stephanie Bruce successfully footed a chip shot (1-2), to extend the margin to 5 points between the North American neighbors.

Coming up with tackle after tackle, the USA held it sights on a coveted win. However, with less than five minutes left to play nearly had its hopes dashed by Canadian winger Tara Eckert, who charged down the left side to bring the game to a 10-10 dead heat as the clock ticked down. A conversion from Julianne Zussman would have deflated the American's sails, but the kicked pushed to the right, clanking off the upright to hold the tie.

US flanker Phaidra Knight crashes through the Canadian defense in the final decisive minutes of the match.
(Photo: © Bill English)

With the door still open, the USA made the most of its time. Flanker Phaidra Knight propelled her team forward with a big run into Canadian territory and from there the USA wings took over. Once again, the ball found its way to the knowing hands of Amy Daniels, who gained ground before offloading to Emilie Bydwell for the win.

Hugs all around for the Women Eagles as they celebrate the win over rivals, Canada.
(Photo: © Bill English)

"I'm happy the team earned another win in the tournament, and to get a win over a huge rival like Canada is obviously even more exciting," Flores added. "With about four minutes left in the game, it looked as if the game might end in a draw but we did not back down. I am proud of the team's intensity up until the final moments," Flores added.

The USA faces France in its final Nations Cup match on Saturday, August 22 at Fletchers Field in Markham, Ontario (kickoff 2 pm EST). The game will be shown live on the Web via USTREAM.

For more information on the USA Women's Team, including daily blogs from the Nations Cup, visit www.usarugby.org/goto/women_eagles.

USA 15, Canada 10 (Halftime: Canada 5, USA 0)
USA 15
Tries: Daniels, Bydwell, Conversions: Bruce, Penalty Kicks: Bruce

1. Stacy Baker, 2. Mari Wallace, 3. Lara Vivolo (repl by Jamie Burke), 4. Jenny Menke, 5. Jillion Potter (repl. by Sharon Blaney at 22 min), 6. Phaidra Knight, 7. Kristin Zdanczewicz, 8. Melanie Denham (repl. by Blair Groefsema), 9. Claudia Braymer, 10. Stephanie Bruce, 11. Nathalie Marchino (repl. by Melanie Kanuk), 12. Emilie Bydwell, 13. Amy Daniels, 14. Vanesha McGee (repl. by Christy Ringgenberg), 15. Ashley English.

CANADA 10
Tries: Waters, Eckert

1. Kim Donaldson, 2. Ashley MacDonald, 3. Marlene Donaldson, 4. Marie-Eve Brindamour-Carignan, 5. Paige Burdett, 6. Kelly Russell, 7. Heather Jaques, 8. Barbara Mervin, 9. Julia Sugawara, 10. Anna Schnell, 11. Tara Eckert, 12. Stevi Schnoor, 13. Sarah Ulmer, 14. Brittany Waters, 15. Cheryl Phillips Reserves: 16. Leslie Cripps, 17. Lesley McKenzie, 18. Danielle Rowlands, 19. Megan Gibbs, 20. Maria Gallo, 21. Laura Stoughton, 22. Juilianne Zussman

NATIONS CUP SCHEDULE (All times EDT)
Appleby College, Oakville, Ontario, Canada

August 10
France 17, South Africa 17
England 36, USA 7

August 13
England 43, France 8
Canada 35, South Africa 17

August 16
USA 39, South Africa 0
France 12, Canada 7

August 19
England 25, South Africa 0
USA 15, Canada 10

August 22
USA vs. France 2:00 PM*
Canada vs. England 4:00 PM*

*these matches are being played at Fletchers Fields in Markham, ON

8.17.09 - from USA Rugby.org

OAKVILLE, Ontario - USA Rugby Women's National Team Head Coach Kathy Flores officially named her roster for the Eagles' upcoming Nations Cup match versus cross-border rivals Canada.

Once again held at Appleby College, outside of Toronto, the match kicks off at 6:30 p.m. (EST) on Wednesday, Aug. 19, and will be streamed live on the Web via UStream.

The USA looks to build on the momentum of its 39-0 shutout over South Africa as it enters its next meeting with Canada. Meanwhile, the Canada Women set their sights on a win, following its 12-7 loss at the hands of France on Sunday.

When the two North American teams last played in the annual CanAm tournament in late June, it was Canada who came out on top; however, Flores is confident her team's hard work will pay off in what's certain to be a physical test.

"The weather has been pretty hard on everyone here but at least we have a later game. It will be a strong contest considering we've lost to Canada in our last few meetings and I'm sure they are hungry after their defeat to France," Flores said.

"Canada has proven to have strong set pieces and attacking runners and we are looking to our extra work in those areas pay off for us on the field."

After getting a rest on Sunday, Stacy Baker will start at loosehead prop, joined by Mari Wallace at hooker and Lara Vivolo at tighthead.

Phaidra Knight, shown here against
S. Africa, returns at flanker.
(Photo: © Bill English)

In the second row, Jenny Menke and Jillion Potter fill in at lock, while flanker Phaidra Knight retains her spot and looks to best her aggressive two try performance against South Africa. Kristin Zdanczewicz starts at openside flanker and Melanie Denham rounds out the pack at No. 8.

The backline also sees its share of changes and reverts back to a lineup reminiscent of the Eagles' first round clash against England.

Calling the shots at scrumhalf is Claudia Braymer, with Stephanie Bruce also reclaiming her spot at flyhalf. Nathalie Marchino and Vanesha McGee pair up on the wings, with Emilie Bydwell and Amy Daniels looking to make an impact in the center.

Team captain Ashley English, who made quite an impact off the bench versus South Africa, is set to start at fullback on Wednesday.

The USA vs. Canada match follows a 4:30 p.m. (EST) match featuring the yet unbeaten England and South Africa.

For more information on the USA Women's Team, including daily blogs from the Nations Cup, visit www.usarugby.org/goto/women_eagles.

USA v CANADA

1. STACY BAKER
2. MARI WALLACE
3. LARA VIVOLO
4. JENNY MENKE
5. JILLION POTTER
6. PHAIDRA KNIGHT
7. KRISTIN ZDANCZEWICZ
8. MELANIE DENHAM
9. CLAUDIA BRAYMER
10. STEPHANIE BRUCE
11. NATHALIE MARCHINO
12. EMILIE BYDWELL
13. AMY DANIELS
14. VANESHA MCGEE
15. ASHLEY ENGLISH
16. JAMIE BURKE
17. LISA BUTTS
18. SHARON BLANEY
19. BLAIR GROEFSEMA
20. KIM MAGRINI
21. MELANIE KANUK
22. CHRISTY RINGGENBERG

USA vs South Africa Photo Gallery

Photo © Bill English

OAKVILLE, Ontario - The USA Women's National Team notched a convincing six try victory over South Africa in Nations Cup competition on Sunday afternoon at Appleby College.

Fullback Christy Ringgenberg led the scoring charge for the Eagles with 14 points, while Phaidra Knight and Vix Folayan dotted down a pair of tries each, and Beckett Royce added one more to the tally.

The USA took control of the game right away, as Knight powered through the stiff South Africa defense to dot down the Eagles' first try inside three minutes. Ringgenberg successfully kicked the extras to put the U.S. ahead 7-0.

Due to a strong defensive effort and powerful hits, the USA maintained possession through the bulk of the first half, only allowing South Africa one major scoring threat in the later minutes.

"Something the U.S. team excels at is playing hard, physical defense and given the speed of the South Africa team, especially on the outside, we knew we'd have to shut down their backline early on. Our centers did a great job and came up with some huge tackles," Ringgenberg said.

With under 15 minutes gone, Knight caught the offload from Ashley Kmiecik and dove in for second USA try on the day; however, this time around Ringgenberg's foot did not quite go the distance, holding the tally at 12-0.

Looking to redeem herself, Ringgenberg nearly scored for the USA at 26 minutes, evasively maneuvering past the South African defense before being brought down and knocking the ball forward at the line. The USA recovered with a quick break that saw Vix Folayan dive in beneath the posts at 28 minutes, but Ringgenberg's kick bounced off the post.

Frustrated but not defeated, South Africa picked up the tempo in the final 10 minutes of the first half and looked to score when they broke deep into U.S. territory, however the South African fullback knocked the ball on just short of the tryline.

As the half wound down, repeat penalty infractions sent South Africa scrumhalf Saloma Booysen to the sin bin and with all around fluid play, the USA was able to keep their opponents out of the tryzone and hold the line at 17-0 at halftime.

When the second half picked up the USA continued to apply its strong defensive pressure and capitalized on several penalties against South Africa to steadily grow its lead.

Flanker Beckett Royce shown here in Game 1 against England, scored a try for the US against South Africa after a rolling mall in Game 2 of the Nations Cup.
Photo © Bill English

As tensions continued to mount in a physical second half, South Africa again saw yellow, with #17 Portia Jonga (60 min) and #22 Cherne Roberts (66 min) each taking a trip to the bin.

"With players missing from the South Africa scrum, our forwards were able to take advantage. All throughout the game our pack stuck to the gameplan of keeping the ball tight and forcing turnovers," USA Women's Head Coach Kathy Flores said. "We also benefited from the strength of our bench in the second half. They helped put down the speed of the South African team and really pushed the game to the next level."

With the upper hand in a 15 on 13 situation, the USA took advantage. Fullback Christy Ringgenberg's boot accurately footed a chip penalty kick to go up 32-0 with less than 15 minutes left to play.

Inside minute 72, Ringgenberg capped off the Eagles' scoring run with a try of her own and converted to set the scoreline firmly at 39-0, where it remained at the final whistle.

With the win, the USA secures 5 total points in the Nations Cup standings - 4 points for the victory and a bonus point for exceeding 4 tries.

The team now moves on to face cross-border rivals Canada when play resumes at Appleby College on Wednesday, Aug. 19.

"This win was huge for us, not only in terms of gaining a bonus point in the table standings, but in terms of mental toughness. It is a great confidence booster for the team and we hope to carry that momentum into our game against Canada," Flores said.

"We have played Canada a great deal and we know each other's playing styles very well. We've stayed competitive with them in our past matches and hopefully this time we will come out with the upper hand. "

USA 39, South Africa 0 (Halftime USA 17, South Africa 10)

USA
Tries: Knight (2), Folayan (2), Royce, Ringgenberg, Conversions: Ringgenberg (3), PKs: Ringgenberg

1. FARRAH DOUGLAS (repl. by LARA VIVOLO at 60 min), 2. KITTERY WAGNER, 3. JAMIE BURKE (repl. by MARI WALLACE at 60 min.), 4. STACEY BRIDGES(repl. by JENNY MENKE), 5. SHARON BLANEY, 6. PHAIDRA KNIGHT, 7. BECKETT ROYCE (repl. by KRISTIN ZDANCZEWICZ at 50 min), 8. BLAIR GROEFSEMA, 9. KIM MAGRINI, 10. MEL KANUK,11. VICTORIA FOLAYAN, 12. EMILIE BYDWELL,13. LYNELLE KUGLER,14. ASHLEY KMIECIK (repl. by ASHLEY ENGLISH at 45 min), 15. CHRISTY RINGGENBERG

The match at Appleby College kicks off at 2 p.m. local time (Eastern Time) and will be streamed live on UStream.

The Eagles head into the match hungry for points in the leaderboard standings, with five days of training between their first Nations Cup flight versus England. Despite attacking defense from the USA, the second half of the match eventually saw England surge ahead to a 36-7 final.

After starting off with a 17-17 draw versus France, South Africa fell to Canada 35-17 in its second Nations Cup venture against Canada on Thursday; however, Flores knows the South African team's speed will pose a threat to the Eagles.

"The South African team is very fast in the open field and are quick to transition from defense to offense if they turn the ball over," Flores said. "Our challenge will be to control the our breakdowns and retain possession and forward attack."

Since facing England on Aug. 10, Flores has made several changes to her starting lineup for the USA's match versus South Africa on Sunday.

Leading the pack, Farrah Douglas comes off the bench to start at loosehead, while Jamie Burke slides over to tighthead and the two will prop for Kittery Wagner, who gets her start at hooker.

In the second row, Stacey Bridges retains her place at lock and is joined by Sharon Blaney. After filing a replacement role versus England, Phaidra Knight will start at blindside flanker, while Beckett Royce makes the move to openside and Blair Groefsema holds strong at No. 8.

The backline sees a full change of face and is lead by Kim Magrini at scrumhalf. Mel Kanuk steps in at flyhalf, with Victoria Folayan and Ashley Kmiecik adding fresh legs on the wings. Emilie Bydwell and Lynelle Kugler will see time in the center, while Christy Ringgenberg takes her start at fullback.

For more information on the 2009 Women's Nations Cup, please visit http://www.rugbycanada.ca/nationscup. You can also watch all the Nations Cup games live on http://www.ustream.tv/channel/live-rugby.

For more information on the USA Women's Team, including daily blogs from the Nations Cup, visit www.usarugby.org/goto/women_eagles.

USA ROSTER VS SOUTH AFRICA

1. FARRAH DOUGLAS
2. KITTERY WAGNER
3. JAMIE BURKE
4. STACEY BRIDGES
5. SHARON BLANEY
6. PHAIDRA KNIGHT
7. BECKETT ROYCE
8. BLAIR GROEFSEMA
9. KIM MAGRINI
10. MEL KANUK
11. VICTORIA FOLAYAN
12. EMILIE BYDWELL
13. LYNELLE KUGLER
14. ASHLEY KMIECIK
15. CHRISTY RINGGENBERG

16. LARA VIVOLO
17. MARI WALLACE
18. JENNY MENKE
19. KRISTIN ZDANCZEWICZ
20. CLAUDIA BRAYMER
21. STEPHANIE BRUCE
22. ASHLEY ENGLISH

Tickets for the Nations Cup event at Appleby College can be purchased at the gate for $5 per day - or a $25 pass for the week to watch unlimited rugby action at both Appleby College and the finals day at Fletchers Fields.

8.11.09 - from USA Rugby.org
OAKVILLE, Ontario - The U.S. Women's National Team fell 36-7 to a strong England side this evening at Appleby College just outside Toronto, Ontario.

Flanker Kristin Zdanczewicz takes on an English flanker during the first US match of the Nations Cup.
Photo © Bill English

Knowing this would be a very physical game, the U.S. Women started strong, taking England by surprise early on. And, although a majority of the first 10 minutes were spent in the U.S. half, the Americans would touch the ball down first after Amy Daniels stepped into an England pass, intercepting and racing past the try line for the Eagles first and only try of the day. The USA converted and grabbed an early 7-0 lead, just seven minutes in.

"In the first half, we were attacking defensively and putting them under a lot of pressure that England is not used to," U.S. Women's National Coach Kathy Flores said. "Daniels' try gave the team an additional confidence boost that carried them strongly through the first half. However, all throughout the game we struggled with the basic skills and there was a lot of dropped ball. England is a professional side and once you allow these types of breakdowns, they will take advantage. Once they get out in front, it's difficult to play catch up against such an experienced squad."

Back Amy Daniels touches down in the first half of the US vs England match.
Photo © Bill English

England was able to recover quite quickly following that first U.S. try and unfortunately, that would be the last points for the U.S. in the match. England would return the favor just four minutes later with an overload opportunity. The English got the ball out quick and one pass back inside saw lock Jo McGilchrist touch it down near the corner. England wouldn't convert and the U.S. maintained the 7-5 lead.

Both sides would miss some critical scoring opportunities in the first half, but England would find the end zone one more time, in the 25th minute, to bring the score to 10-7.

In the second half, the U.S. defense and set pieces would falter a bit allowing their England counterparts several opportunities in open space.

"Our defense was launching in the first half and we were able to cause a lot of knock-ons that turned the ball in our favor, however in the second half we were not as organized and they took advantage of the opportunities created by holes in our defense," U.S. Captain Ashley English said.

England's other lock, Sarah Beale would get the team rolling, reaching over the first try of the second half and giving England the upper hand against a physical U.S. side.

England would see two tries by inside center Emily Scarratt as she placed the ball down near the posts on both and allowed for easy conversions by flyhalf Katy McLean. Fiona Pocock would also break a tackle and touch down her second try for the day, but that would be out of range for McLean and England would finish with a 36-7 scoreline.

"Although we played well defensively, we did not always take full advantage, even if we caused a dropped ball or came up with a huge tackle, England's reaction time seemed a bit quicker," Flores added.

"I'm proud of a lot of what we accomplished on the field today," English added. "We put forth one of the better games I've seen this team play, but we have to learn from our mistakes and take these lessons into our next match versus South Africa.

South Africa tied the French in their first match today, 17-all. The U.S. will face the South Africans on August 16, three days after S.A.'s match against Canada.

For more information on the 2009 Women's Nations Cup, please visit http://www.rugbycanada.ca/nationscup. You can also watch all the Nations Cup games live on http://www.ustream.tv/channel/live-rugby

For more information on the USA Women's Team, including daily blogs from the Nations Cup, visit http://www.usarugby.org/goto/women_eagles

Final Score: England 36, USA 7 (halftime: 10-7)
England Tries: Jo McGilchrist; Fiona Pocock (2), Emily Scarrett (2), Sarah Beale, Conversions: Katy McLean (3)

USA Tries: Amy Daniels, Conversions: Stephanie Bruce

USA Lineup:
1. Jamie Burke; 2. Lisa Butts (Mari Wallace in at 50 min.); 3. Stacy Baker; 4. Stacey Bridges; 5. Jillion Potter; 6. Beckett Royce (Phaidra Knight in at 60 min.); 7. Kristin Zdanczewicz; 8. Blair Groefsema; 9. Claudia Braymer; 10. Stephanie Bruce (Hannah Stolba in at 61 min.) (Kim Magrini in at 70 min. - injury replacement); 11. Nathalie Marchino (Christy Ringgenberg in at 52 min.); 12. Lynelle Kugler; 13. Amy Daniels; 14. Vanesha Mcgee; 15. Ashley English.

Nations Cup schedule and results (All times ES)
Appleby College, Oakville, Ontario, Canada

August 10
France 17, South Africa 17
England 36, USA 7

August 13
France vs. England 4:30 PM
Canada vs. South Africa 6:30 PM

August 16
South Africa vs. USA 2:00 PM
Canada vs. France 4:00 PM

August 19
England vs. South Africa 4:30 PM
Canada vs. USA 6:30 PM

August 22
USA vs. France 2:00 PM*
Canada vs. England 4:00 PM*

*these matches are being played at Fletchers Fields in Markham, ON

8.9.09 - from USA Rugby.org
BOULDER, Colo. - The USA Women's Head Coach, Kathy Flores, officially announced her lineup for the Eagles' first match of the Nations Cup against England on Monday, August 10, 6:30pm at Appleby College in Oakville, Ontario.

"The team is training well and anxious to meet England again. Despite only four training sessions, they feel prepared," Flores said.

The U.S. Women's Team hasn't faced England since the last Nations Cup, played this time last year in England. That encounter saw the Eagles lose 17-14 in a very hotly contested match.

The Nations Cup is a critical tune-up event for the Eagles, who have qualified for the 2010 Women's Rugby World Cup, and the annual event is a great opportunity to play four international matches and to take advantage of the extended assembly time.

The U.S. player pool for this tournament had a late addition of Phaidra Knight after Kate Daley sustained an injury in the Saranac Lake Tournament last weekend. Luckily Knight was available and ready to come with the side to the Nations Cup.

"We are happy to have (Phaidra's) experience and leadership with the team," Flores added. "Along with a few changes to the Can-Am squad she will help mobilize our attack and improve our continuity which has been our weakness in the past."

The Eagles play a challenging schedule at the Nations Cup and will make full use of the 30-player squad it has brought to Canada.

"We've got four matches so we will need to hit the ground running. Having played England many times in the last two years, we both know each other well, so the challenge will be to become less predictable," Flores said.

Following the opener against England tomorrow, the U.S. will get almost a week break before playing three matches in six days. The U.S. will play South Africa on Sunday, August 16, Canada on Wednesday, August 19 and France on Saturday, August 22.

"The athletes are fired up to put it all together," Women's High Performance Manager Alex Williams said. "They are ready to stand up and show the world the results of the hard work they've been putting in for the last three years and to kick off the year-long road to the World Cup with some victories at the Nations Cup."

Tickets for the Nations Cup event at Appleby College can be purchased at the gate for $5 per day - or a $25 pass for the week to watch unlimited rugby action at both Appleby College and the finals day at Fletchers Fields. Fans unable to make it to the Nations Cup can watch it live at http://www.ustream.tv/channel/live-rugby.

Follow the U.S. Women's National Team via twitter at http://twitter.com/USAWomenEagles, or Facebook and of course the U.S. Women's National Team tour journal page.

The USA Roster for its first match includes:

1. Jamie Burke
2. Lisa Butts
3. Stacy Baker
4. Stacey Bridges
5. Jillion Potter
6. Beckett Royce
7. Kristin Zdanczewicz
8. Blair Groefsema
9. Claudia Brayer
10. Stephanie Bruce
11. Nathalie Marchino
12. Lynelle Kugler
13. Amy Daniels
14. Vanesha McGee
15. Ashley English
16. Farrah Douglas
17. Mari Wallace
18. Sharon Blaney
19. Phaidra Knight
20. Kim Magrini
21. Hanna Stolba
22. Christy Ringgenberg

Nations Cup Schedule
Appleby College, Oakville, Ontario, Canada
August 10
France vs South Africa 4:30 PM
England vs USA 6:30 PM

August 13
France vs England 4:30 PM
Canada vs South Africa 6:30 PM

August 16
South Africa vs USA 2:00 PM
Canada vs France 4:00 PM

August 19
England vs South Africa 4:30 PM
Canada vs USA 6:30 PM

August 22
USA vs France 2:00 PM*
Canada vs England 4:00 PM*
*these matches are being played at Fletchers Fields in Markham, ON

Kristin Zdanczewicz helped USA finish fifth at Women's Rugby World Cup 2006

7.31.09 - from IRB.com
They may take on defending champions England in their opening Women's Nations Cup match in Canada next month, but USA are "fired up to put it all together" as they begin the year-long road to Women's Rugby World Cup 2010 in London.

The Women's Eagles have qualified directly for next year's showpiece - as have the other four teams involved in the 2009 Women's Nations Cup - and have been working hard to give them the best possible chance of bettering their fifth place finish in the last Women's Rugby World Cup in Canada.

"The athletes are fired up to put it all together," explained USA Rugby's Women's High Performance Manager Alex Williams. "They are ready to stand up and show the world that results of the hard work they've been putting in for the last three years and to kick off the year-long road to the World Cup with some victories at the Nations Cup."

USA will meet England at Appleby College in Oakville, Ontario, on 10 August before sitting out match day two and then tackling South Africa on 16 August, Canada three days later and France on 22 August, the latter at Fletcher's Field in Markham.

Less predictable

Kathy Flores' side have never met South Africa before, while seven years have passed since their last encounter with France at the 2002 Women's Rugby World Cup in Amsterdam. USA also have the added motivation of avenging last month's 25-17 defeat by Canada in a one-off Test.

"We've made some changes in our roster after the Can-Am and will be working very hard on our attack," explained Flores. "These changes will include some seven participants who performed well at the Can-Am and we look forward to working with them to round out our squad.

"We've got four matches, with an opener against England, so we need to hit the ground running. Having played England many times in the last two years, we both know each other well, so the challenge will be to become less predictable."

England, the runners up in the last two Women's Rugby World Cups, have included only new cap in their squad to defend the Nations Cup title they won with a clean sweep against USA and Canada last year in Heather Fisher, who impressed at Rugby World Cup Sevens 2009.

The Nations Cup kicks off a busy 12-month period for England with a two-Test series with world champions New Zealand in November - the second of them forming part of a historic double header between the men's teams at Twickenham - followed by the Women's Six Nations and then the World Cup on home soil in London from August-September 2010.

Exciting expansion

"This is a really strong squad and it has been hard making the final cut of 26 players, but I believe we will be going to Canada in a very strong position," said England head coach Gary Street.

"Heather is the only uncapped player and she will add physicality and strength to our game against some physically tough opposition like France and South Africa. We are lucky to have so many talented flankers, like Maggie Alphonsi, who's unavailable through injury, and Sonia Green and Jane Leonard. It's been nice to have these selection dilemmas.

"The Nations Cup is the start of a long and important season for us and all the players know that this is their chance to make their mark for the 12 months ahead.

"It's very exciting that South Africa and France have joined the tournament. France are one of the toughest sides we play in the Six Nations while South Africa have really improved as a rugby nation, they have most recently shown that in the Sevens.

"Obviously we want to go to Canada to defend our title, but the important thing is that we concentrate on our game, perform to the best of our abilities and keep on improving."

7.30.09 - from USA Rugby.org
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. - USA Rugby successfully concluded its pilot City-Based 7s League with an exciting day of elite sevens rugby on Sunday, July 26.

About 70 athletes from Boston, New York, Philadelphia and Washington, DC played a total of 12 games, displaying the lessons they learned from a two week training program, which included skills and sevens principles from the USA Women's National Sevens Program.

"I was impressed with the level of play and the incredibly positive atmosphere of the day," said Sue Parker, USA Women's Sevens Head Coach. "It was great to see players new to the game of sevens be able to step up and play with the Eagles' players. The level of athleticism was good and there was a real commitment by the players to try and do what they had learned in practice."

Hosted by the Keystone Rugby Club at Friendship Field in Phoenixville Pa., the tournament was designed to be more developmental than competitive. The coaches worked together on selections to make sure that players were not out of their depth and that all players had opportunities to play with and against the elite sevens players.

"The coaches worked together really well," said Boston Coach, Richard Ashfield. "There was a wide range of experience in each team, so we collaborated to make sure players were able to be successful when they were on the pitch."

The goals of the CBL program are to identify new sevens athletes and to begin to hopefully develop them into national team caliber players. The CBL teams recruited both experienced sevens players as well as athletes who have not played much, if any, sevens rugby and all the players were provided with skill and conditioning programs.

"We had a couple of games specifically for the less experienced players, who really stepped up," said New York coach Mark Bowker. "While we all talked about how this was developmental, the players brought a great competitive spirit. The games were very intense."

Washington, DC coach Peter Baggetta shared those sentiments, adding, "It was great to see the new players pick up the game and play so well. Most clubs don't have organized sevens, and in the past it was really the Atlantis program where most players learned to play. The CBL is now another place a player can learn the game."

While scoring and results were not important, the tournament ended with a "final" between New York and Washington DC. It was a game of All-Star quality.

"It was a great day for women's sevens in the U.S." said Peter Steinberg, coach of the Philadelphia team and CBL Coordinator. "We have had a good response from the athletes, and to have the coaches and managers work so hard to pull this off with such short notice was really exciting. We also need to thank the referees who also did their part in making the day such a success."

During the development stages, Parker provided coaches with a guide to ensure that the teams were following the USA National Team approach with a particular focus on skill development and game understanding as the CBL is pathway into the USA Women's Sevens program.

"The Coaches' Guide was really useful," Ashfield said. "It gave us the outcomes and the areas of focus for each practice, but also allowed us to be flexible to meet the needs of each team."

The development materials will remain available at the League's website http://www.citybased7s.com.

Parker spent the entire day scouting and was happy to see experienced sevens players honing their games, and helping younger players.

"Part of the reason the CBL pilot was a success was because the presence of experienced players enhanced the developmental process for the younger players," Parker commented. "All of the coaches were thrilled to see the level of play demonstrated by newer players. They really shined."

Parker plans to invite some of them to participate with the USA Developmental Team at the USA Rugby National All-Star Sevens Tournament in August.

"Today we saw many players, whom, if they are willing to make a commitment, realistically could aspire to play internationally," Parker said. "Training and playing with the Developmental Team will be a good opportunity for some of them to be exposed to an elite environment. "

USA Rugby is already looking to expand the CBL next year both in terms of teams and the developmental program.

"The pilot went very well, despite significant time constraints," Parker said. "Next year we aim to expand the League to a total of eight to 12 cities, enhance our ability to recruit cross-over athletes and increase the time each team has for development. We believe that the CBL can be a key driver for the growth and development of women's sevens in this country."

Players, coaches or sponsors that are interested in participating in this City-Based 7s League can get more information at http://www.citybased7s.com or email info@citybased7s.com.

from USA Rugby.org
7.13.09 - BOULDER, Colo. - The U.S. Women's National Team has announced the roster of athletes for the upcoming Nations Cup, to be held August 6-23 in Toronto, Ontario.

The team is looking to build on the significant progress made during the week of assembly prior to the Can-Am in June. Following the Eagle's 25 -17 loss to Canada on June 27, the squad is looking forward to the opportunity to play four international matches and to take advantage of the extended assembly time.

"We've made some changes in our roster after the Can-Am and will be working very hard on our attack," said Women's National Team Coach Kathy Flores. "These changes will include some sevens participants who performed well at the Can-Am and we look forward to working with them to round out our squad."

The Eagles play a challenging schedule at the Nations Cup and will make full use of the 30-player squad.

"We've got four matches, with an opener against England, so we will need to hit the ground running. Having played England many times in the last two years, we both know each other well, so the challenge will be to become less predictable," commented Flores.

The Eagles play their opener against England on August 10 and then get almost a week break before playing three matches in six days. The U.S. will play South Africa on Sunday, August 16, Canada on Wednesday, August 19 and France on Saturday, August 22.

France, which placed third in the 2006 IRB Women's Rugby World Cup, has not played the USA since the 2002 World Cup, making it a much anticipated battle for the final match of the Nations Cup tournament.

The Women's National Team has never played South Africa, but is looking forward to facing a new opponent. In addition, the Eagles are very motivated for the rematch against Canada and the opportunity to put to use the lessons learned in the Can-Am in June.

The Nations Cup is a critical tune-up event for the Women Eagles, who have qualified for the 2010 Women's Rugby World Cup, to be held in England during August and September of next year.

"The athletes are fired up to put it all together," Women's High Performance Manager Alex Williams said. "They are ready to stand up and show the world the results of the hard work they've been putting in for the last three years and to kick off the year-long road to the World Cup with some victories at the Nations Cup."

U.S. Women's National Team Roster:

1. BAKER, Stacy - Philadelphia Women
2. BLANEY, Sharon - Beantown
3. BRAYMER, Claudia - Albany
4. BRIDGES, Stacey - Texas A&M
5. BRUCE, Steph - Berkeley All-Blues
6. BURKE, Jamie - Beantown
7. BUTTS, Lisa - Davis Women
8. BYDWELL, Emilie - Beantown
9. DALEY, Kate - Penn State Univ
10. DANIELS, Amy - Beantown
11. DENHAM, Mel - Beantown
12. DOUGLAS, Farrah - Chicago - North Shore
13. ENGLISH, Ashley - Berkeley All-Blues
14. FOLAYAN, Victoria - Berkeley All-Blues
15. GROEFSEMA, Blair - Berkeley All-Blues
16. KANUK, Mel - MN Valkyries
17. KMIECIK, Ashley - Emerald City Mudhens
18. KUGLER, Lynelle - Glendale
19. MAGRINI, Kim - Keystone
20. MARCHINO, Nathalie - Berkeley All-Blues
21. MCGEE, Vanesha - New York
22. MENKE, Jenny - MN Valkyries
23. POTTER, Jillion - Univ NM
24. RINGGENBERG, Christy - MN Valkyries
25. ROYCE, Beckett - ORSU
26. STOLBA, Hannah - MN Valkyries
27. VIVOLO, Lara - New York
28. WAGNER, Kitt - Beantown
29. WALLACE, Mari - Beantown
30. ZDANCZEWICZ, Kristin - MN Valkyries

from USA Rugby.org
The U.S. Women's Sevens Team beat France 19-0 in the Cup Quarterfinals, only to be stopped short in the semi's by New Zealand, falling to the Black Ferns 14-12 in the inaugural women's event at the 2009 Rugby World Cup Sevens in Dubai.

Locker room before USA
vs New Zealand in the Cup Semis.


Looking out of the tunnel
before New Zealand game.


Last team shot at World Cup.
Images courtesy of Jenn Starkey

"I don't know one player out there who didn't give it everything they had," U.S. Women's Coach Julie McCoy said following the loss. "I know the fans will be disappointed, but I'm not. We all did our best in preparation for this moment and it just goes to show that with hard work, dedication and support, we can be competitive."

Saying the USA Women's side was competitive during these last two days may be a bit of an understatement. The Eagles rolled through the first day's pool play with a loss to England, but definitive wins against Russia and Japan, outscoring those two opponents 50-0.

The squad earned its way into the Cup Quarterfinals today and faced a tough French side first, reiterating they were ready to take on the best the world had to offer. The Eagles held France scoreless, playing seamless defense and at half the score was tied at 0.

"We made a couple tweaks to our defense after that first match against England," U.S. scoring leader Jessica Watkins said. "As we got more confident, we got more comfortable playing together and vice versa."

The U.S. Team also made a few tweaks to its offensive game during halftime and came out prepared to win the kicking game that France was using to gain the advantage. The tweaks worked and within the first minute Christy Ringgenberg was able to break away and touch one down. Her conversion missed, but the U.S. had the opening it needed. Watkins outpaced the French opposition to score the next two tries for the Americans and the whistle blew with the U.S. ahead, 19-0.

"One good kick deserves another," McCoy said after the game. "Ringgenberg did a good job leading our adjustment and backing them off. We like to think of the team as a steering wheel and as long as we have all hands on the wheel, we can get where we want to be - in the finals."

The first stop for the U.S., however was the semifinals where it met New Zealand. The U.S. had scrimmaged New Zealand earlier in the week and in fact hosted the New Zealand Maori women's side in San Diego prior to leaving for the Rugby World Cup, so they knew a fair amount about the New Zealand players. But, within the first two minutes, the U.S. found itself down early after a try by Huriana Manuel put New Zealand up by seven.

The U.S. responded three minutes later, as Ringgenberg saw some space and dished to forward Amy Daniels who was able to touch it down for the try. Ringgenberg missed the conversion, however and the teams broke for half with the scoreboard at 7-5, New Zealand.

New Zealand again was the first to score in the second half, with just a minute and a half off the clock. The U.S. fought hard to keep New Zealand at bay throughout the remainder of the match, and finally, in the last minute of play, scored their final try to come within two points with just 30 seconds remaining.

The U.S. would try as it might, but it was too late by the time they made their last push down the field. At about midfield the ball was knocked out of bounds and the game came to an anticlimactic end.

"I think it just goes to show that we are that kind of team that go all in, all the time," the USA's Ines Rodriguez said. "We played our hearts out till the end and we have to be proud of ourselves for that."

New Zealand would go on to play Australia in an outstanding final that would come down to extra time sudden death on Saturday night. In the end, Australia's Shirley Matcham scored the decisive try to clinch a dramatic victory over their Down Under neighbors and Australia would become the first ever Women's Rugby World Cup Sevens champions.

USA 19, France 0
Tries: Watkins (2), Ringgenberg
Conversions: Ringgenberg (2)

New Zealand 14, USA 12
NZ Tries: Porter, Manuel
Conversions: Winiata (2)

USA Tries: Ringgenberg, Daniels
Conversions: Ringgenberg

The USA Team:
Amy Daniels, Boston, Mass. (Beantown)
Ellie Karvoski, Little Rock, Ark., (Little Rock)
Pam Kosanke, Chicago, Ill (Chicago Northshore)
Kelly White, Belmont, Calif. (Belmont Shore)
Lauren Hoeck, Washington, DC (NOVA)
Alison Price, New York, NY (New York)
Teena Mastrangelo, Chicago, Ill. (Chicago Northshore)
Ines Rodriguez, Philadelphia, Pa. (Keystone)
Christy Ringgenberg, Minneapolis, Minn. (Minnesota Valkyries)
Jen Sinkler, Philadelphia, Pa. (Keystone)
Jen Starkey, Washington, DC (NOVA)
Jess Watkins, Palo Alto, CA (Stanford)

3.27.09 - from USA Rugby.org
The USA Women's National Rugby Team officially announced its partnership with a unique, new initiative that offers the rugby community the opportunity to help unlock the key to preventing breast cancer: the Love/Avon Army of Women.

The Love/Avon Army of Women is seeking to recruit one million women nationwide to help researchers learn what causes breast cancer and move beyond a cure to prevention. Women across the U.S. are encouraged to be "one in a million" by learning more and signing up at www.armyofwomen.org.

The Love/Avon Army of Women is a partnership between the Dr. Susan Love Research Foundation and the Avon Foundation and was launched on October 1, 2008 to mark the start of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Women have taken personal action and raised millions of dollars that has advanced treatment and early detection, but researchers still do not know what causes the disease.

The Love/Avon Army of Women empowers women with a new opportunity - a simple, but revolutionary call for one million women of all ages and ethnicities to join the "Army" and consider serving as research volunteers to help scientists understand the causes of breast cancer - and how to end it once and for all.

All women not currently undergoing breast cancer treatment, including breast cancer survivors and those who never had the disease are eligible to register.

"Women have repeatedly demonstrated through fundraising and advocacy their personal dedication to ending breast cancer," says Dr. Susan Love, the visionary behind the Army of Women and a leader in the breast cancer movement for more than 30 years. "This new initiative gives women the opportunity to be part of the research itself and help shift the focus. The Army of Women will enable more scientists to move from studying cancer after it occurs, and testing new drugs and treatments, to seeking the cause and prevention. If we all join together, I know we can end breast cancer in our lifetime."

Dr. Love, a renowned breast cancer surgeon and respected expert in the field, is also the author of the best-selling Dr. Susan Love's Breast Book and president of the Dr. Susan Love Research Foundation.

"USA Rugby is very pleased to partner with the Love/Avon Army of Women and we invite the rugby community to join our Women's National Team in supporting this important public health initiative," stated USA Rugby CEO Nigel Melville. "Our Women's National Team athletes have earned the honor of representing the United States internationally and it's very important to them to give back to the country in this way."

The USA Women's Rugby Team, also known as the Eagles, first officially competed in 1987. Since then, they have amassed a strong winning record, including victory at the inaugural 1991 Rugby World Cup. In addition to the quadrennial Rugby World Cups, the Eagles compete against countries such as England, New Zealand, Canada, Scotland and Wales.

"Supporting this amazing grass roots effort to advance breast cancer research is just one way to give back to the country that we are so pleased to represent. It is a very personal and relevant topic for all women," said Alex Williams, USA Rugby's Women's High Performance Manager. "The Women's National Team proudly encourages our families, friends and fans to visit the website www.armyofwomen.org and be part of this important effort."

In 2009, the U.S. Women's Team will come together on June 27, for a home match against northern rivals, Canada, at Infinity Park in Glendale, Colo. In addition to displaying the Eagles' world-class rugby skills on the pitch, the June 27 match will give the team the opportunity to show their support for the Love/Avon Army of Women off the pitch. A moment of silence will be observed prior to the start of the match to honor those diagnosed with breast cancer and fans will have the opportunity meet and speak with Army of Women volunteers, as well as to sign up to support the initiative. The Army of Women will give out free t-shirts to the first 200 women who sign up at the match. All fans are encouraged to attend the match and show their support for the Eagles and the Army of Women. Tickets to attend the match are just $15 and will be available online soon at http://www.glendalerugby.com. (Note: ticket sales do not benefit the Army of Women.)

6.28.09 - from USARugby.org
GLENDALE, Colo. - Despite a tied score at halftime, the U.S. Women's National Rugby Team saw the match slip away in the second half, losing 25-17 to the Canadian Women's side at Infinity Park on Saturday.

"The problem was that we didn't stick to our game plan," Women's Head Coach Kathy Flores said. "We didn't want to play from our back half. We wanted to get the ball in front of our forwards. We didn't do that and we kept trying to run it from behind our 22. It wore our forwards out and our set pieces started falling apart."

The U.S. actually scored first, five minutes into the match as the USA won a lineout and dished it to Beckett Royce who ran up the weak side and touched it down. Canada tied the game shortly thereafter as Mandy Marchuk also received an opportunity off the lineout and broke through the defense to score for the visiting side.

In what was an extremely physical match, the U.S. saw both its flyhalf and inside center go down with injuries in the first half. Additionally, the English referee handed out four yellow cards, forcing both the U.S. and Canada to play short for 20 minutes of the game. Canada incurred its yellow cards in the first half, but the U.S. spread its out into the second and clearly started losing a bit of form in the pack.

Around the 50 minute mark, the U.S. was charged with repeated penalties within its own 22 and allowed Canada the opportunity to kick for three points, and earn its first lead of the day.

Less than 10 minutes later, Canada was starting to see some success at the hands of its backline and quick hands gave wing Maria Gallo the opportunity for her first try of the day. Canada's Anna Schnell converted and its lead improved to 10.

Gallo would score one more in similar fashion just before the 70 minute mark, this one coming off a great run by Ashley Patzer, who popped it inside just in time to hit the open wing, who put five more on the board. This time the conversion missed, but Canada was in a good position with a 15 point lead and just 10 minutes left on the clock.

The USA's winger Vanesha McGee would pick up the slack for the U.S. on the outside, and thanks to Stephanie Bruce's 20 meter run, would get an opportunity to take it out wide and touch it down. The injured Bruce would slot the tough conversion, although visibly in pain and the U.S. would come within eight points with just over five minutes left.

The U.S. looked to have the opportunity they were looking for at the midfield mark, but then a kick to fullback Ashley Patzer dashed all hopes as she ran it up to within the USA's own 10 meter line before getting tackled out of bounds

Canada won the lineout and prop Leslie Cripps pushed it over for the Canadians. The conversion was missed, but Canada had basically sealed their victory, moving just out of reach for the U.S.

The U.S. wouldn't go down lightly though and replacement winger Victoria Folayan got a bit of space on the outside in the last play of the game, touching down a try and allowing the U.S. to finish on a high note as the whistle blew after the conversion just fell short.

"We obviously would have liked to win this game," Flores added. "But this is a stepping stone for us. It is all about getting to where we need to be at the World Cup in 2010 and this definitely gave us something to learn from."

The Can-Am matches in Colorado were the first of five matches this summer, as the team kicks off its journey towards the Women's Rugby World Cup 2010, which is held in England next August and September. The Women's Eagles will see their remaining games in the Nations Cup in Toronto in August.

The Women's Can-Am matches will be uploaded in their entirety to the USA Rugby Media Center early next week for fans who missed the action live!

If you need more information on the Women' National Team program, please contact Alex Williams at awilliams@usarugby.org.

Canada (25)
Tries: Marchuk; Gallo (2), Cripps
Conversions: Schnell, Penalties: Schnell
Canada Women's Lineup:
1. Leslie Cripps; 2. Kim Donaldson (Leslie McKenzie in at halftime); 3. Marlene Donaldson; 4. Paige Burdette (Marie Eve Brindamour Carrigan in at 60:13); 5. Megan Gibbs; 6. Heather Jaques; 7. Gillian Florence (Kelly Russell in at 49:14; 8. Barbara Mervin (Nikki Tyminski in at 66:40); 9. Laura Stoughton; 10. Anna Schnell (Julia Suguwara in at 69:03); 11. Julianne Zussman (Cheryl Phillips in at 65:43) 12. Sarah Ulmer (Brooke Hilditch in at 73:16); 13. Mandy Marchak; 14. Maria Gallo; 15. Ashley Patzer

USA (17)
Tries: Royce, McGee, Folayan
Conversions: Bruce
U.S. Women's Lineup:
1. Farrah Douglas; 2. Mari Wallace (Lisa Butts in at 77:44); 3. Jamie Burke; 4. Jillion Potter; 5. Sarah Walsh (Sharon Blaney in at 30:23); 6. Kristin Zdanczewicz; 7. Beckett Royce (Mel Denham in at halftime); 8. Blair Groefsema; 9. Claudia Braymer; 10. Stephanie Bruce; 11. Ashley Kmiecik (Victoria Folayan in at 62:45); 12. Mel Kanuk (San Juanito Moreno in at 66:40); 13. Lynelle Kugler; 14. Vanesha McGee; 15. Ashley English.

Attendance: 702, Referee: Natalie Amor

Both the Eagles and the developmental USA-A squads will be undergoing intensive two-a-days, video sessions, mental skills conditioning and recovery work as they prepare for their respective matches against our neighbors to the north.

USA-A will kick off against Canada-A at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, June 23 at Infinity Park in Glendale, Colo. Coached by Martha Daines, the USA-A squad is looking to come out strong against a physical Canadian side.

"We've selected a good mix of young talent, players returning to 15s after representing the U.S. in sevens, and experienced players looking to prove themselves to the coaching staff," commented Daines. "With only three days to prepare, this match will be a good opportunity for the team to build cohesion and for team leaders to step up and make a positive impact."

The Eagles, on the other hand, will continue to train through the entire week in the lead up to the Test match.

"Having a whole week's assembly to prepare for the match is a rare opportunity for us and we plan to take full advantage of the time together," commented Head Coach Kathy Flores. "The players have been working hard this year to improve their strength and conditioning and I think that is going to have a very positive impact on the physicality of this match, as well as allowing us to capitalize on opportunities that we haven't always been able to take advantage of before."

The match against Canada, which also kicks off at 6 p.m. on Saturday, June 27, at Infinity Park in Glendale, Colo., is widely anticipated to be a real battle. Both the USA and Canada have qualified for the 2010 Women's Rugby World Cup and this CanAm match is a valuable opportunity for both sides to assess their progress as they prepare for that ultimate competition just over a year away.

"The Eagles are eagerly anticipating the chance to play in front of a home crowd, which will include WNT supporters and women's rugby enthusiasts from around the country, U19 Women's LAU teams from the United States and Canada, as well as a group of Eagle Alumni, returning to support the current team and to be honored with a special recognition ceremony at halftime of the match," said Alex Williams, USA Rugby's Women's High Performance Manager.

Next up after the CanAm is the Nations Cup in Toronto, Canada, from August 6 -23, 2009, where the WNT will compete against England, Canada, France, and South Africa, all of whom are strong contenders to place well in next year's World Cup. Please visit http://www.usarugby.org/goto/women_eagles for more details on that event.

With the CanAm event kicking off its 2010 World Cup campaign, the WNT is pleased to announce the support of two new sponsors in 2009..

The first is a generous grant from the U.S. Women's Rugby Foundation, which will be used to cover needed communication technology for the program, as well as primary sponsorship of the 2009 Eagle Reunion, held in conjunction with the CanAm match on June 27.

In addition, Pro Photo Rental of Boulder, Colo., will provide specialized photographic equipment to cover the WNT action in both the CanAm in June and the Nations Cup in August.

If you are interested in sponsoring the Women' National Team program, please contact Alex Williams at USA Rugby.

6.24.09 - from USARugby.org
BOULDER, Colo. - The USA Rugby Women's 'A' side lost to their Canadian counterparts today, 10-7, at Infinity Park in Glendale, CO.

"We took some risks, strategically," Women's 'A' Coach Martha Daines said. "For only having a few days together, I was happy with the way we played overall. We worked well together and our defense was effective. We also had a couple of nice runs, but we just couldn't get the ball across the line when we needed to."

Battling through some very tough conditions early on, the U.S. dominated possession throughout the first half, but missed some key opportunities to put points on the board. Conversely, while Canada didn't have a whole lot of possession throughout, they were able to score while down one player in the middle of the first half, to take the lead 7-0.

The weather made play a bit sloppy, forcing the UK referee to use her whistle a great deal in the first half. Needless to say, neither team got much of a flow going in those first 40 minutes, unable to string together much more than a couple phases before the ball was either was dropped, knocked on or there was an infraction in the ruck, and both teams inevitably went into break a bit frustrated and determined to turn it around in the second half.

The Americans were able to get a bit of momentum back on their side early after half and in the 45th minute the U.S. forced a turnover just outside Canada's 22, which led to a quick dish to Hanna Stolba. Stolba touched it down and Desiree Markovich converted to bring the score to 7-7 with 35 minutes remaining.

In those 35, however, it was all about the penalty kicks as Canada's Andrea Burke looked to put her team ahead, first by attempting a 43m kick and then later, one from just outside the 22. Burke was able to slot the latter to put the visitors up by three, while the U.S. missed one shortly thereafter to remain down by three.

The U.S. found themselves down one person at a crucial time, and although Canada missed that penalty kick, as well, the U.S. would not be able to recover. Two closely missed U.S. scoring opportunities later, and both sides were running out of time. After a penalty by Canada, the USA made a good kick into touch. The USA chose a quick lineout and almost capitalized by scoring in the corner, however, a very questionable knock on was called and that would end the USA's offense dead in its track.

Canada also had a few breakaways, but the USA's back line was able to scramble and contain them. On one such break as time wound down, Amy Daniels intercepted a pass, but was brought down after a 20 meter run. Following some aggressive USA rucking, Canada was called for offsides and the U.S. was allowed one more penalty kick. That one fell short and the whistle blew, dashing the American's hopes for an undefeated Can-Am series.

The USA Women's Eagles side will now face the Canadian Women's Eagles side on Saturday, June 27 at 6 p.m.

Tickets to both matches are just $15 or you can buy 11 tickets for the price of 10. Children under 12 get in free. Just CLICK HERE to purchase tickets now!

The Can-Am matches in Colorado will be the first of five matches this summer, as the team kicks off its journey towards the Women's Rugby World Cup 2010, which is held in England next August and September. The Women's Eagles will see their remaining games in the Nations Cup in Toronto in August.

USA 7
Tries: Stolba
Conversions: Markovich

USA Lineup: 1. Libby Berg (Katherine Weber in at 44:06); 2. Kitt Wagner (Lisa Butts in at 29:02). 3. Stacy Baker; 4. Jenny Menke; 5. Anna Brown (Stacey Bridges in at 56:06); 6. Mel Denham (Janay Lake in at 62:02); 7. Ida Berstein; 8. Kate Daley; 9. Ramey Marshall (Katie Hertel in at 40:00), 10. Hannah Stolba; 11. Desiree Markovich; 12. Emilie Bydwell; 13. Amy Daniels; 14. Katie Dowty: 15. Christy Ringgenberg; 16. Katherine Weber; 17. Stacy Bridges; 18. Lisa Butts; 19. Janay Lake; 20. Katie Hertel 21. Brenna Costello; 22. Kristy Lear.

Canada 10
Tries: Hilditch
Conversion: Burke
Penalties: Burke

6.23.09 - BOULDER, CO - The USA Women's 'A' Rugby Team has officially announced its lineup for its match against its Canadian counterparts, the Canada 'A' side, set to kick off tonight at 6 p.m. at Infinity Park in Glendale, Colo.

Following intensive two-a-days, video sessions, mental skills, conditioning and recovery work over these past few days, the USA 'A' side will look to come out strong against their respective neighbors to the north.

"We've had a productive couple of practice days here in Glendale and are looking forward to a good showing against Canada A this evening," Women's 'A' Coach Martha Daines said.

For this 'A' game, the U.S. has selected a mix of young talent, players returning to 15s after representing the U.S. in sevens, as well as experienced players looking to prove themselves to the coaching staff.

With only a few days to prepare, this match will be a good opportunity for the team to build cohesion and for team leaders to step up and make a positive impact.

"The team has pulled together well," Daines added. "They are ready and excited to play."

The Women's 'A' Can/Am match is just a preview for the international test match featuring the USA Women's National Team and the Canadian Women's National Team on Saturday, June 27 at 6 p.m. Tickets to both matches are just $15 or you can buy 11 tickets for the price of 10. Children under 12 get in free.

The Can-Am matches in Colorado will be the first of five matches this summer, as the team kicks off its journey towards the Women's Rugby World Cup 2010, which is held in England next August and September. The Women's Eagles will see their remaining games in the Nations Cup in Toronto in August.

USA 'A' Lineup:

1. Libby Berg (Minnesota Valkyries)
2. Kitt Wagner (Beantown)
3. Stacy Baker (Philadelphia)
4. Jenny Menke (Minnesota Valkyries)
5. Anna Brown (Minnesota Amazons)
6. Mel Denham (Beantown)
7. Ida Berstein (Keystone)
8. Kate Daley (Pennsylvania State University)
9. Ramey Marshall (Oregon Sports Union)
10. Hannah Stolba (Minnesota Valkyries)
11. Desiree Markovich (Minnesota Valkyries)
12. Emilie Bydwell (Beantown)
13. Amy Daniels (Beantown)
14. Katie Dowty (Beantown)
15. Christy Ringgenberg (Minnesota Valkyries)
16. Katherine Weber (Iowa State)
17. Stacey Bridges (Texas A&M)
18. Lisa Butts (UC Davis)
19. Janay Lake (Glendale Raptors)
20. Katie Hertel (Minnesota Valkyries)
21. Brenna Costello (Washington DC Furies)
22. Kristy Lear (Minnesota Valkyries)

from USARugby.org
6.10.09 - BOULDER, CO USA Rugby is creating a Women's Sevens League as part of the development program for sevens players, particularly those who aspire to be Women's Sevens National Team candidates.

Each team in the league will be located in a city, which will act as a hub to the local area, and will provide high-level Sevens experiences to the best club, college and high school rugby players in each area. Boston, New York, Philadelphia and Washington DC have been targeted as potential team-based cities. Other interested cities are encouraged by USA Rugby to express interest and participate.

"We must create elite environments in which players can learn sevens rugby and develop their skills," said USA Women's 7s Head Coach Sue Parker. "We are creating a pilot that allows the best athletes from all levels and backgrounds to come together to practice and play sevens."

The pilot program will start with tryouts on the weekend of July 11 and finish with a tournament on July 26 in Philadelphia. Parker will work with the coaches of each team to ensure that there is consistency in skill development and tactical awareness for each team.

"We want athletes who have never played rugby, rugby players who are new to sevens, as well as experienced sevens players. This program will be an ideal place for a rugby player to pick up 7s or for a cross-over athlete to try rugby for the first time," said Parker. "We are looking for players with speed and quickness, and an aptitude for good decision-making and ball-handling. We are going to recruit both inside and outside of the rugby community."

The teams will hold try-outs and will train for just over two weeks before the tournament. The teams will follow USA 7s National Team protocols and skill development programs, and the tournament will be an entry point for the National Team Pool. Each team will be responsible for recruiting both current rugby players as well as cross-over athletes from other sports.

Coaches that are interested in setting up a team in their city should contact Sue Parker at sparker@usarugby.org. Information regarding try-outs will be released shortly by USA Rugby.

from USA Rugby.org
5.19.09 - BOULDER, Colo. - USA Rugby officially announced the appointment of Sue Parker as the head coach of the Women's Sevens National Team through December 2009. Parker assumes the position previously held by Julie McCoy, who stepped down after leading the team to the semifinals of the Rugby World Cup Sevens in March.

"We are delighted to have Sue on board," USA Rugby CEO and President of Operations Nigel Melville said. "She has tremendous enthusiasm for the job, and we believe she can do great things with this program."

Parker represented the United States in Sevens from 1997 to 2000 as a wing. She was a close advisor and consultant to previous Head Coach Julie McCoy, and worked with former Head Coach and Sevens guru Emil Signes at National Team camps.

As an assistant coach of the Developmental Sevens Team from 2007-2008, Parker frequently took on head coaching responsibilities. Parker was also an assistant coach of the USA U-23 Team from 2003-2007. She was head coach of the women's team at the United States Naval Academy from 2002-2008, establishing them as a perennial national powerhouse and as a consistent National Collegiate Championship contender.

Parker, who is excited for this new challenge, sets the bar high for the program.

"My goal for the USA Team is to become the exemplary Women's Sevens program in the world in every facet. That includes developing a team capable of winning the Rugby World Cup Sevens and an Olympic Gold Medal, should we get the opportunity," Parker said.

Parker will announce the details of her plan for the remainder of 2009 shortly, including entry pathways into the player pool, skill development, camps, competition, and development of sponsorship and publicity for the program.

4.21.09 - from USA Rugby.com
BOULDER, Colo. - The U.S. Women's National Team Head Coach Kathy Flores has officially named her player pool for the upcoming matches against Canada in June.

The USA Women's National Team most recently gathered in February for a three-day camp in Florida, where the coaching staff was able to take a good look at the potential players. Having now named the sides, Flores won't see her teams assemble again until June 19, when they arrive in Colorado.

The team will train for a week at the rugby complex in Glendale, Colorado, before competing against the Canadian Women's National Team on Saturday, June 27 at Glendale's Infinity Park. The USA 'A' side, which arrives at the same time, will only have three days of training before their Infinity Park kick-off against Canada 'A' on Tuesday, June 23. Both matches will be played at 6 p.m. and tickets are just $15 for the match, or for groups buying 10 tickets, the 11 will be free! Children under 12 get in free, as well. Tickets for the match are available online now.

"This match is very important to our squad," said Coach Flores. "We have yet to fully compete against Canada and we can wait no longer to prove we will be competitive in the next World Cup. Though the squad may be young internationally, we do have veterans from the last World Cup (in 2006), who we will depend on to step up and provide the on-field leadership needed to secure a competitive contest against our rivals."

USA 'A' Coach Martha Daines reiterated the importance of the match for the USA 'A' side, saying, "The 'A' match is an excellent opportunity for our developing players. We'll be building on the work we did at the development camp in February, continuing to focus on player's abilities to make decisions when under pressure as well as their ability to apply pressure to the opposition. The intensity and pace of the match should provide a great arena for developing these skills."

Another bonus is that the two squads will get more opportunity to train alongside each other and continue to strengthen the connection between the two programs. Providing the 'A' athletes with vital international experience is also a tremendous opportunity for them to make a strong case for inclusion in the squad for the 2010 WRWC.

"Players like Jillion Potter and Lynelle Kugler are strong, physical examples of the type of hard nosed rugby we must play for our future to be successful on the world stage," Flores added. "We also have two players joining us from the Rugby World Cup Sevens, Amy Daniels and Christy Ringgenberg, and in order to allow them time to settle into international 15s and provide them some leadership opportunities, we have selected them for the A squad. We look forward to their participation and look to their possible future with the Eagles going forward."

The Can-Am matches in Colorado will be the first of five matches this summer, as the team kicks off its journey towards the Women's Rugby World Cup 2010, which is held in England next August and September. The Women's Eagles will see their remaining games in the Nations Cup in Toronto in August.

In addition to displaying the Eagles' world-class rugby skills on the pitch, the June 27 match will give the team the opportunity to show their support for the Love/Avon Army of Women off the pitch. A moment of silence will be observed prior to the start of the match to honor those diagnosed with breast cancer and fans will have the opportunity meet and speak with Army of Women volunteers, as well as to sign up to support the initiative. The Army of Women will give out free t-shirts to the first 200 women who sign up at the match.

Please contact Alex Williams, Women's HP Manager for more information or to request sponsorship packages.

USA Women's Eagle Roster

1. Sharon Blaney, Beantown
2. Claudia Braymer, Albany
3. Stephanie Bruce, Berkeley All-Blues
4. Jamie Burke, Beantown
5. Melanie Denham, Beantown
6. Farrah Douglas, Chicago - North Shore
7. Ashley English, Berkeley All-Blues
8. Victoria Folayan, Berkeley All-Blues
9. Blair Groefsema, Berkeley All-Blues
10. Melissa Kanuk, Furies
11. Ashley Kmiecik, Emerald City Mudhens
12. Lynelle Kugler, Glendale
13. Vanesha McGee, New York
14. San Juanita Moreno, ORSU
15. Elise Myer, Northern Virginia (NOVA)
16. Jillion Potter, Univ NM
17. Beckett Royce, ORSU
18. Lara Vivolo, New York
19. Kittery Wagner, Beantown
20. Maurin Wallace, Beantown
21. Sarah Walsh, Chicago - North Shore
22. Kristin Zdanczewicz, MN Valkyries

USA Women's 'A' Roster

1. Stacy Baker, Philadelphia Women
2. Libby Berg, MN Valkyries
3. Ida Bernstein, Keystone
4. Stacey Bridges, Texas A&M
5. Anna Brown, MN Valkyries
6. Lisa Butts, Davis Women
7. Emilie Bydwell, Beantown
8. Brenna Costello, Furies
9. Kathleen Daley, Penn State Univ
10. Amy Daniels, Beantown
11. Liz Dilley, Furies
12. Katie Dowty, Beantown
13. Katy Hertel, MN Valkyries
14. Janay Lake, Glendale
15. Kristy Lear, MN Valkyries
16. Desiree Markovich, MN Valkyries
17. Ramey Marshall, ORSU
18. Jenny Menke, MN Valkyries
19. Christy Ringgenberg, MN Valkyries
20. Hannah Stolba, MN Valkyries
21. Katherine Weber, Iowa State

from USA Rugby.org
3.6.09 - DUBAI - The U.S. Women's Team fell to England in the first match of its pool play today, but easily overcame its other Pool B competition, beating Japan and Russia to finish 2-1 and advance to the Cup Quarterfinals tomorrow at the inaugural Women's Rugby World Cup Sevens tournament in Dubai.

"We are excited to have made the Cup Quarterfinals," the USA's Jessica Watkins said following her two tries against Russia, which secured the U.S. victory and advancement. "From here, we just need to try and stay close within our team and keep the momentum going into tomorrow."

The U.S. Women's Team had just started playing to its standards by the time it met Russia, in the last match. The Eagles fell early to the top seeded, England, who would finish the day unscathed, beating the U.S. 17-0 to earn a perfect start.

"Obviously, we are a bit disappointed with our performance against England," U.S. Captain Christy Ringgenberg said. "We wanted to come out stronger, but we just have to let it go and move forward.

"We came out the same way in San Diego - just a bit soft," she added. "I have no doubt that we could play with England, if we met them again in this tournament."

The U.S. Team had hardened a bit by the time they faced Japan in their second match of the day. Although, U.S. Head Coach Jules McCoy was not yet satisfied by her team's performance against the Cherry Blossoms, the U.S. Women were able to put a seemingly easy 'W' underneath them, with six players scoring tries in their 38-0 victory.

"The team needed a win," said McCoy shortly after the match, "but we didn't play as a team. We can't depend on athleticism to win games. They have to shake off the nerves and start relying on each other more. Once we start playing with each other, instead of individually, we can drive a lot of energy from that.

"Hopefully this win will give us the confidence we need and the women will start buying into the process and pull together more as a team," McCoy added.

Fortunately, that was exactly what seemed to happen, as the U.S. was finally able to shake those nerves and came out firing on all cylinders against the Russians late in the day. The U.S. beat their final Pool B competitor 12-0, and although McCoy concedes that there is still a ways to go for the U.S. Team to be playing its best, this was a very positive step in the right direction.

"I would not have slept tonight if we hadn't come together as a team in that last game," McCoy finished. "This was a very necessary step towards the best performance we can give."

Although England clinched the top-spot in the pool, the U.S. was able to clinch the second spot and will move on to the Cup Quarterfinals tomorrow where it will face the first place finisher of Pool A, France, at 12:28 p.m. Win or lose, the U.S. will get to play another match following that first one in the afternoon.

To follow the match scores via your phone, visit www.mobilescore.net and sign up to receive score-by-score text updates. In the USA, rugby fans can watch the IRB Rugby World Cup Sevens on the Setanta Sports TV Channel, simulcast on Setanta Broadband, as well as catch it live and on-demand through www.rwcsevens.com.

England 17, USA 0

USA 38, Japan 0
Tries: Starkey, Rodriguez, Mastrangelo, Watkins, Ringgenberg, Price
Conversions: Starkey, Ringgenberg (3)

USA 12, Russia 0
Tries: Watkins (2)
Conversions: Ringgenberg

Friday's Fixtures
1. Australia 50, China 12
2. Netherlands 17, France 14
3. Canada 52 Thailand 7
4. Spain 19, Brazil 0
5. New Zealand 50, Uganda 0
6. South Africa 17, Italy 5
7. England 17, United States 0
8. Russia 31, Japan 10
9. France 14, Australia 10
10. China 31, Netherlands 12
11. Brazil 12, Thailand 10
12. Spain 12, Canada 0
13. New Zealand 45, Italy 0
14. South Africa 26, Uganda 0
15. England 29, Russia 0
16. United States 38, Japan 0
17. Australia 36, Netherlands 0
18. France 19, - China 5
19. Spain 19, Thailand 12
20. Canada 38, Brazil 0
21. Italy 12, Uganda 7
22. New Zealand 22, South Africa 0
23. United States 12, Russia 0
24. England 47, Japan 0

3.5.09 - from IRB.com
The USA women's team cannot wait to kick off their Rugby World Cup Sevens 2009 campaign on Friday, with both captain Christy Ringgenberg and Ines Rodriguez insisting they are ready to challenge for the title after some intensive training sessions.

Player Interviews (audio from IRB.com)

3.4.09 - US Eagle Captain Christy Riggenberg
3.4.09 - Eagle Ines Rodriguez
3.4.09 - England player Jo Yapp

Read the story from IRB.com
Women Set to Make Seven's History from IRB.com

3.1.09 - The Women's National Team (WNT) program hosted its first ever fully combined camp, which brought 95 athletes from the Under-20 Women, USA 'A' Developmental side and the Senior WNT to one location - the National Training Center (NTC) in Clermont, Fla., from Thursday, Feb. 26 - Sunday, March 1.

Camp Highlights

Thursday

The first day of camp consisted of fitness testing in the 40yd, 40m, Illinois agility and 300m shuttle. The testing is used as a tool to set standards for positions and test compliance to fitness training. Both Eagle and A squads were tested together. One of the things that keeps the Women Eagles competitive is fitness. Attending this 4-day camp, with constant contact, tested the physical abilities of all the players.

Friday and Saturday

The coaching staff split time between working on offense and defense. The coaches wanted to make sure the players had time to problem solve through tough situations. Very little time was spent drilling unless there was a particular problem that was magnified in the situation (stilling the defender, defensive alignment). Evenings were spent discussing team culture and team and individual goals as we are going forward to the 2010 World Cup.

Sunday

Eagles v USA A Match - Horrible weather, swirling wind and rain and temps in the 50s. The Eagles squad took the early lead but was answered by USA A. USA A dominated the contact area, much to the dismay of the Eagle forwards, however, the Eagle backs were able to score 2 more tries from the relatively small amount of clean, recycled possession. Final score: Eagles 15 - USA A 5. Standouts for the Eagles were flanker Jillion Potter (7), scrumhalf Kim Magrini and for USA A: flankers Kate Daley, Kristin Zdanczewicz and fullback Katie Dowty.

2.27.09 - from USA Rugby.org
BOULDER, Colo. - Canyon Pharmaceuticals Inc. has signed on as the official sponsor of the USA National Women's Sevens Rugby Team throughout the IRB Sevens Rugby World Cup event in Dubai.

Along with a substantial monetary contribution to the team that will be used to defray expenses for U.S. Women's Seven's players, Canyon Pharmaceuticals will also match all other cash donations to the Women's Sevens Rugby Team from non-official sponsors or donors, up to a total of 10,000 additional dollars through March 9.

"The young women on the U.S. Women's National Sevens Rugby Team have set goals for themselves that challenge and stretch their capabilities to the absolute limit of their strength and endurance; they are energizing their hearts and minds to make heroic efforts to strive for greatness on the world rugby stage in Dubai," said Karl Ahrendt, Canyon's founder, Chairman, and CEO.

"Canyon salutes these ideals and the young women who make up the Women's National Sevens Rugby Team today, yesterday, and tomorrow. They are worthy of our support and sponsorship. The Company believes these are the attributes and traits which translate into success on the rugby pitch as well as other areas of life and has chosen to support these ideals. Our financial support could not go to a more worthy cause."

This is the just the first sponsorship of its kind for Canyon Pharmaceuticals Inc., a privately held biopharmaceutical company based in the U.S., but one that comes at a perfect time as the U.S. Women's Team makes its way to Dubai for the premier of the women's competition in the RWC Sevens. The 16-team women's tournament will run alongside the traditional men's event and marks one of the most important steps in the history of the Women's Game.

"We are very excited that Canyon Pharmaceuticals Inc. has made the commitment to directly support USA Rugby's Women's 7s National Team," said Alex Williams, Women's High Performance Manager. "Canyon's support will contribute significantly to the program's ability to optimize final preparations for the Rugby World Cup Sevens in March and we look forward to working with Canyon to that end."

To contribute to the U.S. Women's Sevens Team visit http://blog.uswomensrugby7s.com/store/.

2.23.09 - from USA Rugby.org
BOULDER, Colo. - The Women's National Team (WNT) program will host its first ever fully combined camp, which brings the Under-20 Women, USA 'A' Developmental side and the Senior WNT to one location - the National Training Center (NTC) in Clermont, Fla., from Thursday, Feb. 26 - Sunday, March 1.

"The three 15s Women's National Team programs have operated as separate entities for a long time and we felt it was important to bring the programs together physically, as well as in concept. While the coaching staffs have been communicating for a number of years, the athletes have not trained together and we felt it would be a real benefit to the players to bring the programs together in a single camp," USA Rugby Women's High Performance Manager Alex Williams said. "We hope that giving the athletes at all levels the chance to interact with each other will help to demystify the process and the pathway for the younger players and give the older players the opportunity to mentor the younger players."

The Senior National Team and USA 'A' programs will train closely together under the guidance of coaches Kathy Flores and Martha Daines, to ensure that the key principles and skills are consistent throughout the programs. These two programs are working with a pool of 55 athletes and will be looking to select players for the upcoming Developmental and Test matches against Canada in Glendale in late June, as well as the Nations Cup in Canada in August.

"This is the first time we've actually been able to have both the Eagles and Eagle 'A' squad train at the same time and same facility. The idea is to keep those players who could be viable for selection for the next World Cup training with the same concepts and approach so any transition can be made easily," said Kathy Flores, Women's National Team Head Coach. "The Eagles will be concentrating on problem-solving around the field, with particular direction to how we are attacking our set pieces and slow ball recycle. We are looking for our outcome to be players that are better equipped to handle the fast-paced pressures of international rugby and able to make appropriate adjustments to ensure success on the field."

Additionally, under the direction of Coach Bryn Chivers, the Under-20 program will evaluate a pool of 52 athletes and will be looking to select players for summer competition at the Under-23 National All-Star Championships (NASC) and the U-20 Nations Cup in England.

A scrimmage between the Senior Women's Eagles and the USA 'A' Developmental side will bring the weekend to a close and give the coaches a chance to evaluate different combinations of players.

"The upcoming camp is going to be a great opportunity for the Eagle 'A' squad. Having both teams at the same venue will allow these players to spend some time working with the Eagles players and staff and some time working as a separate team. As a result, they will not only be exposed to the intensity and pressure they might experience playing in international matches in the future, but also will have the opportunity to develop and improve some specific skills and techniques that will help them be successful in these matches," said Martha Daines, USA 'A' Head Coach.

USA Women's Eagle and USA 'A' Developmental Athletes attending the camp include:

1. Aliberto, Kristin, USA-A, Philadelphia
2. Baker, Stacey, EAGLES, Philadelphia
3. Blaney, Sharon, USA-A, Beantown
4. Brand, Anneke, USA-A, Texas Tech
5. Braymer, Claudia, EAGLES, Albany
6. Brown, Anna, EAGLES, MN Valkyries
7. Bruce, Steph, USA-A, Berkeley All Blues
8. Burke, Jaime, EAGLES, Beantown
9. Bydwell, Emilie, EAGLES, Beantown
10. Costello, Brenna, EAGLES, Washington Furies
11. Daley, Kate, USA-A, Keystone
12. Denham, Mel, EAGLES, Beantown
13. Dilley, Liz, EAGLES, Washington Furies
14. Douglas, Farrah, EAGLES, Chicago North Shore
15. Dowty, Katie, USA-A, Beantown
16. English, Ashley, EAGLES, Berkeley All Blues
17. Folayan, Victoria, EAGLES, Berkeley All Blues
18. Groefsema, Blair, EAGLES, Berkeley All Blues
19. Hartley, Alex, USA-A, Brown University
20. Hartley, Alicia, USA-A, Brown University
21. Hegg, Meredith, USA-A, Washington Furies
22. Hertel, Katy, EAGLES, MN Valkyries
23. Hobson, Christina, USA-A, New York
24. Kanuk, Mel, EAGLES, Maryland Stringers
25. Keller, Devin, USA-A, Keystone
26. Killourhy, Christina, USA-A, Cornell University
27. Kmiecik, Ashley, EAGLES, Seattle Mudhens
28. Kugler, Lynelle, EAGLES, Glendale
29. Lake, Janay, USA-A, Glendale
30. Lear, Kristy, USA-A, MN Valkyries
31. Mafe, Adetayo, EAGLES, Michigan State
32. Magrini, Kim, EAGLES, Keystone
33. Marchino, Nathalie, EAGLES, Berkeley All Blues
34. Markovich, Desiree, EAGLES, MN Valkyries
35. Marshall, Ramey, USA-A, ORSU
36. McCarthy, Schmarrah, USA-A, Purdue University
37. McCormick, Kati, USA-A, U Wisconsin-Milwaukee
38. McGee, Vanesha, EAGLES, New York
39. McGillivray, Deanna, USA-A, University of New Mexico
40. McMahon, Kelly, EAGLES, New York
41. Menke, Jenny, EAGLES, MN Valkyries
42. Moreno, San Juanita, EAGLES, ORSU
43. Myer, Elise, EAGLES, NOVA
44. Posner, Saburah, USA-A, Keystone
45. Potter, Jillion, EAGLES, University of New Mexico
46. Reddick, Naima, EAGLES, Berkeley All Blues
47. Royce, Beckett, EAGLES, ORSU
48. Stolba, Hannah, USA-A, MN Valkyries
49. Thoreson, Katie, USA-A, Glendale
50. Vivolo, Lara, USA-A, New York
51. Wagner, Kitt, USA-A, Beantown
52. Wallace, Mari, EAGLES, Beantown
53. Walsh, Sarah, EAGLES, Chicago North Shore
54. Weber, Katherine, USA-A, Iowa State
55. White, Carrie, USA-A, New York
56. Zdanczewicz, Kristin, USA-A, MN Valkyries

USA Under-20 Women's Camp Athletes include:

1. Sadie Anderson, Penn State
2. Candace Barley, Maryville, TN
3. BrieAnna Barto, Summit, CO
4. Tara Burke, Fallbrook, CA
5. Hannah Bushey, Essex, VT
6. Stephanie Chubb, U of Virginia
7. Jennifer Cooperrider, Stanford
8. Lauren Danielsen, Summit, CO
9. Gina Deihl, Hoke, TN
10. Asia Donaldson, Santa Monica Women
11. Brandi Dunkinsell, U of Oregon
12. Jozy Gessner, Summit, CO
13. Ashley Graves, Lady Bird Johnson HS, TX
14. Katherine Gray, Texas Tech
15. Kelsey Harter, Chico
16. Katie Hathaway, Norwich
17. Lisa Henneman, Seattle Women
18. Katy Hodson, Colorado State
19. Brittany Houston, UW Milwaukee
20. Katie Humphreys, Kent, WA
21. Ima Isang, Oakridge, TN
22. Mallory Ives, ColoradoState
23. Nicole James, Texas A&M
24. Katie Johnson, Hopkins, MN
25. Erika Lane, Chico
26. Brook LeGate, Maryville, TN
27. Erin LeGate, Maryville, TN
28. Mackenzie Lewis, Chaparral, CO
29. Blaine Martin, Brown
30. Jade McLaughlin, U of New Mexico
31. Sophia Nolan, Armstrong, MN
32. Kelsey Ploof, Noblesville, IN
33. Kayla Orvik, Army
34. Maggie Reidy, UW Milwaukee
35. Brittany Rose, Westchester East, PA
36. Adrianne Rubiaco, Mother Lode, CA
37. Victoria Saiz, U of New Mexico
38. Seymira Salamy, Penn State
39. Catherine Scanlon

2.22.09 - From USA Rugby.org
BOULDER, Colo - Following a series of exhibition matches versus the New Zealand Maori over the weekend, USA Rugby Women's Sevens National Team Head Coach has named the team she will take to the inaugural Women?s Rugby World Cup Sevens in Dubai, March 6-7.

Coming off an emotional overtime loss to England in the International Women's Sevens Final in San Diego on Feb. 14, the team returned to its residency program in Little Rock to continue its RWC Sevens preparations, training two-a-days for three consecutive days building into its exhibition showing versus the NZ Maori Women on Saturday.

The USA Women went 0-2-1 in their three matches against the NZ Maori, which were held as a thank you to the city of Little Rock and the local rugby community for hosting the team during their RWC training.

Despite defeating their New Zealand counterparts 12-0 in San Diego, the U.S. short in Little Rock, tying 14-14 in the first game, and falling 14-7 and 21-0 in the remaining matches. Two state representatives, the Mayor of Little Rock and even a New Zealand Ambassador, attended the games, giving the teams much to be proud of in spite of the scorelines.

"All in all, the day was quite successful," McCoy said. "The NZ Ambassador and his wife celebrated the end of residency with us, and after many gift presentations, the Maori players sang a traditional song for the crowd."

"I would like to thank the people of Little Rock, the Greater Little Rock, Inc., Rugby community, Steve Worley and Brian Cox, our physios, and Dr Jan Dean, our Sports Psychologist, for their contributions to the success of the first ever Women's Rugby Residency Prep for a World Cup! In addition, I would also like to thank the Canyon Pharmaceutical Company for their generous contribution to our program," she added.

Following this final evaluation, McCoy has named the 12 players going to Dubai for the 2009 Women's Rugby World Cup Sevens.

The USA Team includes:

1. Amy Daniels, Boston, Mass. (Beantown)
2. Ellie Karvoski, Little Rock, Ark., (Little Rock)
3. Pam Kosanke, Chicago, Ill (Chicago Northshore)
4. Lauren Hoeck, Washington, DC (NOVA)
5. Teena Mastrangelo, Chicago, Ill. (Chicago Northshore)
6. Alison Price, New York, NY (New York)
7. Ines Rodriguez, Philadelphia, Pa. (Keystone)
8. Christy Ringgenberg, Minneapolis, Minn. (Minnesota Valkyries)
9. Jen Sinkler, Philadelphia, Pa. (Keystone)
10. Jen Starkey, Washington, DC (NOVA)
11. Jess Watkins, Palo Alto, CA (Stanford)
12. Kelly White, Belmont, Calif. (Belmont Shore)

Non Traveling Reserves:

• Ida Bernstein, Balitimore, MD (Keystone)
• Phaidra Knight, New York, NY (New York)

Noticeably absent from the squad are Lindsey Stephenson (at-large), who could not make a full recovery from injury in time for the RWC Sevens and Kirsten Ahrendt (Keystone), who sustained injury in San Diego. Jen Sinkler, Lauren Hoeck and Kelly White, who all played on the USA II side in San Diego have been given a nod on the RWC Sevens side, while Phaidra Knight has moved to the non-traveling reserves along with Ida Bernstein.

On Sunday, the players were in northern Arkansas participating in a 'high ropes' course before flying home for the week. The team will depart for Dubai on Sunday, March 1.

10.29.08 - The Women's U.S. Sevens Team fell in the first round of semi-finals to defending champions Saudex Wooden Spoon (a select-side team from England) 17-7 in the International Women's tournament in Dubai. The Wooden Spoon Team later fell to England's Sporting Chance Foundation (a.k.a. the England National 7s Team) in the final, 12-10.

In the first day of action, the U.S. Women lost their first two games, falling to the Saudex Wooden Spoon Team (0-12), as well as to the Sporting Chance Foundation (7-34).

The U.S. made a comeback in the second day of the tournament, advancing into the Cup round by beating the Aylesford Bulls, 35-0, then defeating Russia in the quarterfinal, 36-0.

Dubai Sevens International Women - All Results

11.24.08 - from USA Rugby.org
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - The West Under-19 team captured a narrow 10-8 victory over its Northeast counterparts to take home the 2008 title as the Women's Under-19 Invitational National All-Star Championships wrapped up at Mills Pond Park today.

This was the third annual U-19 INASC tournament, with the previous two events being held in Nashville, Tenn. The 2008 competition featured teams representing all seven USA Rugby Territorial Unions, as well as an Under-17 squad comprised of players selected from the current U-20 Women's National Team pool and players recommended by the TU-19, college and high school coaches.

Round one of the tournament kicked off on Saturday, with primarily close matches throughout tiers one and two, as three of the four matches were decided by five points or less. In Tier 1, the West edged out Pacific Coast 10-7, while the Northeast defeated the Midwest 22-19. Inside Tier 2 competition, Mid-Atlantic (MARFU) won its match-up versus the South 12-5 while the Under-17 team shutout Southern California 93-0.

The outcome of day one set the stage for a set of Sunday match-ups that mirrored those of the 2007 Under-19 INASCs, with the West and Northeast swapping positions with the Midwest and Pacific in the Championship match this year.

The South U19 Squad

Sunday featured a set of highly competitive matches, especially within the top tier. When the day kicked off, the South shutout So Cal 39-0 in the Tier 2 consolation, while the Under-17s shutdown Mid-Atlantic 35-3. Meanwhile, in the Tier 1 contests, it was Midwest holding off Pacific Coast 10-3 and the West coming away as the overall victors by a slim 10-8 margin over the Northeast.

"The quality of play was much improved from last year's competition, especially in the top tier, where the quality of defense was exceptional. In yesterday's matches, the games were ultimately decided by three points and today by seven, which really showed that on any given Saturday, the outcome of a competition between those four teams could have been different," USA Under-20 Women's Head Coach Bryn Chivers said.

"The matches this weekend highlighted great defensive skills. The athletes were more aggressive at the breakdown, more aggressive throughout the backs, and showcased a much more sophisticated level of play overall," he added.

This year's tournament was held in conjunction with the USA Women's National Team (WNT) intra-squad Red/White Match on Saturday afternoon and allowed the WNT coaches and staff the opportunity to see some of the younger up-and-coming players.

"The Under-17 match was the last game of the day on Saturday and provided the perfect segue into watching the Senior National Team in the afternoon - it helped illustrate the clear pathway from U-17 to U-19 and now U-20 level, to the Women's National Team," Chivers added. "It was another great event and it was wonderful to have the WNT coaches at the event observing and scouting players. It showed the real importance of the Women's Age-Grade system in cultivating athletes for future National Team opportunities."

For more information on the Under-19 Invitational National All-Star Championship or to recommend prospective players for the Under-20 WNT, please contact U-20 Head Coach Bryn Chivers at bryn.chivers@gmail.com or call 773-308-4540.

Day 1 Results

Tier 1
West 10, Pacific Coast 7
Northeast 22, Midwest 19

Tier 2
MARFU 12, South 5
Under-17 93, So Cal 0

Day 2 Results

Tier 1
Consolation: Midwest 10, Pacific Coast 3
Championship: West 10, Northeast 8

Tier 2
Consolation: South 39, So Cal 0
Championship: Under-17 35, MARFU 3

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - Following a scoreless second half, Team Red held its half-time lead over Team White to come away with a 19-10 victory in the Women's National Team's intra-squad competition, the Red/White Match at Mills Pond Park on Saturday afternoon.

Both teams opened up strong, but it was the Team Red that would get on the board first, as Vanesha McGee (Philadelphia) broke away for a pair of tries in the first half, with Mel Kanuk (DC Furies) kicking both conversions. Nathalie Marchino (Berkeley All-Blues) also had a try for the Red to put the team up to 19 points before the break.

While their Red counterparts struggled slightly in the pack, Team White's backline had a hard time finishing. However, the team got a boost from a Brenna Costello (DC Furies) penalty kick and a try from Elise Myer, (NOVA) with Costello again kicking the extras to pull within nine points before switching sides.

The second half ushered in a whole new wave of players, as the coaching staff made several changes to test out some of the younger talent. Although the teams held strong in an even back and forth battle, neither could quite get the ball to drop in its favor, leaving the score stuck at 19-10 in Team Red's favor at the final blow.

The 44 players selected for the Red/White Match included a healthy mix of experience and youth, including several up-and-coming athletes from the WNT Age-Grade program, who impressed Women's National Team Head Coach Kathy Flores.

"For their first 10 minutes or so of play the younger athletes seemed nervous about how they would perform, especially because they hadn't worked with the Women's National Team much before," Flores said. "After the initial nerves wore off, I felt that many of the new additions from the Age-Grade system, such as Tayo Mafe(Michigan State University) and Stacey Bridges,(Texas A & M) became important to the game and made a great impact." Flores also singled out Anneke Brand (Texas A&M) and Deanna McGillivray (UNM) as outstanding young talent making their first appearances at an elite event.

Flores also said she was "impressed with the ball retention and clean-out skills demonstrated by both squads."

"Ultimately, the game provided a valuable opportunity to get the players together one additional time before the end of the year and although the game showcased its share of mistakes in contact, it has given the athletes an idea of where they stand and what we as a team need to work on going forward," Flores added.

1. Farrah Douglas (Chicago North Shore)
2. Lisa Butts (Davis Women)
3. Stacey Baker (Philadelphia)
4. Christina Hobson (New York)
5. Kati McCormick (UW - Milwaukee)
6. Kristin Zdanczewicz (MN Valkyries)
7. Beckett Royce (ORSU)
8. Kate Daley (Keystone)
9. Katy Hertel (MN Valkyries)
10. Mel Kanuk (DC Furies)
11. Nathalie Marchino (Berkeley All-Blues)
12. Emilie Bydwell (Beantown)
13. Lynelle Kugler (Glendale)
14. Vanesha McGee (Philadelphia)
15. Ashley English (Berkeley All-Blues)
16. Rachel Primo (NOVA)
17. Libby Berg (MN Valkyries)
18. Anneke Brand (Texas Tech)
19. Brea Hughes (At-large)
20. Jossy Tseng (Berkeley All-Blues)
21. Deanna McGillivray(UNM)
22. Katie Dowty (Beantown)

1. Sharyn Wacht (Beantown)
2. Meredith Hegg (Philadelphia)
3. Jamie Burke (Beantown)
4. Jenny Menke (MN Valykyries)
5. Sarah Walsh (Chicago North Shore)
6. Allyson Hemstreet (Berkeley All-Blues)
7. Mel Denham (Beantown)
8. Liz Dilley(Washington Furies)
9. Wendy Young (Austin Valkyries)
10. Brenna Costello (DC Furies)
11. Lisa Dombroski (Philadelphia)
12. Elise Myer (NOVA)
13. San Juanita Moreno (ORSU)
14. Jenna Flateman (New York)
15. Ashley Kmiecik (Emerald City Mudhens)
16. Adetayo Mafe (Michigan State University)
17. Kristin Aliberto (Philadelphia)
18. Stacey Bridges (Texas A & M)
19. Victoria Folayan (Berkeley All-Blues)
20. Ramey Marshall (ORSU)
21. Hannah Stolba (MN Valkyries)
22. Claire Gregorich (Glendale)

From USA Rugby.org

11.18.08 - BOULDER, Colo. - U.S. Women's Sevens Coach Julie McCoy has officially announced the squad headed to the Dubai Women's Sevens Tournament on November 27-29.

The Dubai Sevens event is the USA's second tournament of the season, after qualifying for the Rugby World Cup at the NAWIRA Sevens Tournament in late October. This tournament will act as a vital warm-up tournament since the 2009 IRB inaugural Women's Rugby World Cup Sevens event, in March, will also be hosted in Dubai.

The Women's Sevens Team, which features a total of four different players than the squad brought to NAWIRA, departs on Friday, December 21 and will train in Dubai daily during the week leading up the event.

"Now that the pressure of qualifying is off, our aim is to continue to practice our systems with different personnel, in order to continue to improve our sevens play for the World Cup," Coach McCoy said.

England To Send Strong Squad to Dubai

From IRB.com
England women's Sevens coach, Simon Amor, has included 15-a-side World Cup flanker Margaret Alphonsi in a strong squad for the Dubai Sevens, a key warm-up event for next year's inaugural women's Rugby World Cup Sevens. Alphonsi was the IRB Women's Personality of the Year in 2006 after an outstanding World Cup and adds forward firepower to Amor's side. England were unbeaten in 2008 and enter the Dubai tournament as firm favourites, but Amor will use the all important game time to hone his team's patterns in attack and defence.

"We are going into this tournament on the back of a really good training weekend," said Amor. "We have made huge steps forward in our attack play and the general feeling in the squad is very upbeat.

"This tournament comes at a good time for us as we look ahead to the World Cup. It will be good to go to Dubai and get a dry run of what the World Cup is going to be like and iron out any problems, whilst at the same time the players have their chance to stake their claim for that squad."

Women's rugby takes global stage

For the first time in 2009, a 16-team women's Rugby World Cup Sevens will be played alongside the 24-team men's competition, on 5-7 March in Dubai.

Amor has named another experienced 15-a-side international Sue Day as captain for the trip and welcomes Sarah Beale to the fold for the first time alongside Sevens novice Alphonsi. The nine other players in the squad were regulars last season.

"It's going to be a tough tournament, with a hard game against the Wooden Spoon side, while the likes of Canada and the USA will also be pushing to get through to the latter stages," said Amor, whose side will take part under their sponsor's name 'The Sporting Chance Foundation'.

"I am looking for a really good performance from all the players and am looking forward to seeing our new members in action for the first time."

Chance for USA newcomers to shine

USA Women's Sevens coach Julie McCoy has also named her squad for the Dubai tournament later this month as she looks to step up their preparations ahead of RWC Sevens 2009.

McCoy's side came through the NAWIRA [North America West Indies Rugby Association] qualifier as runners up to Canada to qualify for RWC Sevens 2009 and she is now keen to see how the four new players added to that squad fair.

U.S. Women's Sevens Squad - Dubai

1. Kirsten Ahrendt (Keystone)
2. Amy Daniels (Beantown)
3. Pam Kosanke (Chicago Northshore)
4. Teena Mastrangelo (Chicago Northshore)
5. Melissa McKibben (Kansas City Jazz)
6. Alison Price (Brandywine)
7. Christy Ringgenberg (Minnesota Valkyries) Captain
8. Jen Sinkler (Keystone)
9. Jen Starkey (NOVA)
10. Lindsey Stephenson (At Large)
11. Jess Watkins (Stanford University)
12. Kelly White (Belmont Shore)

• Julie McCoy, Head Coach
• Chris Ryan, Assistant Coach
• Sadeana Green, Team Manager
• Lisa Bartoli, Team Doctor
• Tristan Lewis, General Manager

10.27.08 - from USA Rugby.org
NASSAU, Bahamas - Both the USA and Canada Men's and Women's Sevens Teams qualified for the 2009 IRB Rugby World Cup Sevens on Sunday at the Winton Rugby Club in Nassau, Bahamas.

In order to qualify, the teams had to finish in the top two at the NAWIRA (North America West Indies Rugby Association) Sevens tournament this past weekend and both countries did so with very little resistance.

The U.S. Men's Sevens Team went undefeated in the two-day event, beating Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana and Bermuda in the Cup bracket before meeting up with rival Canada in the final match of the tournament.

The women's Cup final between the USA and Canada was highly competitive The U.S. Women controlled the majority of possession in the first half, but after a penalty in their own 22 led to a Canadian try, the Eagles would find themselves trailing by seven at halftime.

The match went into sudden-death overtime, but not for long, as Canada's Rosie Cobbett scored the game-ending try to give the Canadians a 19-14 victory.

"This was a huge win for us," Canada's Natasha Wesch said after the match. "Neither of us had been under a whole lot of pressure this weekend and we knew that if we kept our shape on defense and stuck to our game plan, we could compete.

"I'm happy with the way we played and that we did what we set out to do," Wesch added.

"Our goal was to qualify for the RWC," USA Women's Sevens Coach Julie McCoy said after the match. "We would have liked to beat Canada, but we accomplished our main goal and were able to develop some newer players in the process. You learn a lot more when you lose, than when you win and when a game is that close, it really could go either way. It took true grit for our women to come back from 14-0 in the second half and I'm happy to see how resourceful and competitive these players really are."

This NAWIRA Sevens Tournament also decided the annual Caribbean Cup Champions, a most admirable title among the West Indies teams in attendance. On the men's side, Guyana won the title for the third year in a row, beating Bermuda 42-0 in the men's third and fourth place playoff match. The Guyana women also took home the Caribbean honor, following a very competitive match against Trinidad and Tobago earlier in the day in which Guyana came out on top 15-5.

NAWIRA RWC 7s Qualifiers Day 2 - Women's Results

Quarterfinals
USA 67, Cayman 0
Guyana 12, Jamaica 0
Trinidad and Tobago 34, Barbados 0
Canada 34, Bermuda 0

Bowl Semifinals
Jamaica 34, Cayman 0 Bermuda 15, Barbados 10

Cup Semifinals
USA 59, Guyana 0
Canada 41, Trinidad and Tobago 0

Shield
Cayman 10, Barbados 5

Bowl
Jamaica 53, Bermuda 0

Plate & Caribbean Championships
Guyana 15, Trinidad & Tobago 5

US National Seven's Team - World Cup Qualifier Squad (Bahamas)

• Kirsten Ahrendt (Keystone RFC)
• Ida Bernstein (Keystone RFC)
• Ellie Karvoski (Little Rock RFC)
• Phaidra Knight (New York RFC)
• Pam Kosanke (Chicago North Shore RFC)
• Teena Mastrangelo (Chicago North Shore RFC)
• Christy Ringgenberg - Captain (Minnesota Valkyries RFC)
• Ines Rodriguez (Keystone RFC)
• Jen Sinkler (Keystone RFC)
• Lindsey Stephenson (At-Large)
• Jess Watkins (Stanford University)
• Kelly White (Belmont Shore RFC)

Reserves: Tyshawn Henry (New York RFC) and Melissa McKibben (Kansas City RFC)

USA Women's Staff includes: Head Coach: Julie McCoy, assistant coaches: Chris Ryan and Drew Fautley, Team Manager: Sadeana Green, General Manager: Tristan Lewis and physios: Dr. Lisa Bartoli and Michael Moses.

11.10.08 - from USA Rugby.org

SANFORD, Fla. - The Berkeley All Blues held off a late surge from New York to take home the USA Rugby Club Championship title for the second consecutive year, as the Senior Women's competition wrapped up at Seminole Sports Complex on Sunday afternoon.

Utilizing the full strength and speed of its backline, Berkeley was off to the races early, with wings Elaine Gardner and Nathalie Marchino breaking the New York defense for a try a piece within the first six minutes of the game. Try as they might, New York continued to attack but could not find enough of a gap to get on the board. Instead, inside 30 minutes, Berkeley would again find its way to the try zone to go up 20-0, with Stephanie Bruce converting her own try before booting a penalty to give her team an added boost.

Before the end of the first half New York gained some ground, as flanker Phaidra Knight fought through a wall of All Blues and powered in on the right side to get her team on the board inside 35 minutes. However, Berkeley had the last say before switching sides when Vix Folayan broke free for a try to send the teams to the sidelines at 25-5.

The physical intensity and tension only mounted in the second half as Berkeley sought to maintain its lead and New York eagerly pressed for a comeback, sending yellow cards flying in all directions - New York captain Rebecca Brafman the first to visit the sin bin (50 minutes) and Berkeley's Tina Nesburg also seeing yellow at 65 minutes.

Turning the tables on Berkeley, with 10 minutes left, it was time for the New York wings to shine, as Jenna Flateman and Vanesha McGee gave the team a needed adrenaline rush, bolting in for two tries in under three minutes. Hedwig Aerts' conversion cut the deficit to just eight points, but New York's resurgence would be cut short by the time clock and an emboldened All Blues defense, leaving the final score stuck at 25-17.

"It was a long year of hard work, the team put in the hours on the practice field, in the gym, on the track and they worked together really hard so I am glad they were able to reach their goal today," said Berkeley Head Coach Alex Williams, of the sweet end to her first season at the helm. "I think we played the defense we wanted for most of the game - we had a few lapses there but we achieved our aim of being an 'unstoppable wall' for enough of the game to get the victory. The team picked it up in the end and finished strong - I couldn't be more proud of them."

Following the final match, Berkeley All Blues scrumhalf Jossy Tseng was named Championships MVP by USA Women's National Team Coach Kathy Flores.

Earlier, the third place match between Beantown and the Minnesota Valkyries got off to an exciting start, as Beantown's Kitt Wagner swatted down a Valkyries kick and went diving into the try zone to put the Boston team ahead with just over 10 minutes gone. Valkyries flyhalf Christy Ringgenberg kept her team close with a successful penalty kick but Beantown No. 10 Amy Daniels soon retaliated with another soaring Beantown try to keep the Valkyries at bay.

Beantown held steady at 17-3 heading into the second half, but Minnesota was not ready to go down without a fight, pushing through for two tries within the first six minutes of play following the break. From then on, however, Beantown started to gradually pull away from its opponent, scoring four unanswered tries before the end to bring the final tally up to 46-15.

Keystone RFC came away from the weekend with some hardware, defending ferociously to narrowly escape the grasp of Northern Virginia to take the Plate, in a 12-7 final. Following an aggressive 40 minutes of play that spelled fairly even possession for both sides, the halftime scoreline remained locked at nil-nil.

After the break, NOVA drew first blood, with Stacy Bennett breaking through for her team's lone try and Lauren Hoeck booting the conversion inside the 6th minute. However, the Keystone team soon proved that although it was down, it was not way out, utilizing its increased depth and kicking game to take control of the game. Scrumhalf Kim Magrini boosted her team back into the game with a try at 53 minutes and Rachel Hammond notched the last try for either team before the 60th minute, with Inez Rodriguez kicking one conversion, to bring the tally to 12-7, where it remained until the end.

"We took our chances and played hard, especially in the second half. All credit to NOVA - they're a great team and gave us some tough competition," Keystone Coach Peter Steinberg, whose team was down a few key players for the round of 16, due to conflicting National Sevens Team commitments. "(The return of the sevens athletes) gave us greater depth and more options than in St. Louis, where we had to move players around to fill spots. While you would think their presence mainly increased our speed, above all they helped boost our kicking game."

In the Plate Consolation match between the Twin Cities Amazons and the Washington Furies, both teams kicked off to a scrappy beginning, aggressively sparring back and forth scoreless until the bitter end of the first half. Pinned deep into their end, the Amazons defended well but with no time left before the half, the Furies' No. 8 Liz Dilley broke through for a try and the accurate conversion took the teams to the sidelines at 7-0.

Led by speedy center Ashley Mulford, who bolted in for three second half tries, a recharged Twin Cities side emerged after the break, outscoring the Furies four tries to one in the final 40 minutes. Mulford got things started for the Amazons early in the second half with a try inside 46 minutes and another less than five minutes later that saw the No. 13 break through the Furies defense into the wide open, bolting 50 meters to touch down her second.

Mulford and teammate Colleen Tjosvold would each notch one more try before Washington was able to cap off one last offensive drive - the Furies closed out the match with a late surge to pull the final scoreline to 24-14, with Leanna Berger pushing over the line and Breanna Strand converting.

Senior Women's Club Championships
November 7-9, Sanford, Fla.

November 9 Results
Championship match - Berkeley All Blues 25, New York 17
3rd/4th place - Beantown 46, Minnesota Valkyries 15
Plate Championship - Keystone 12, NOVA 7
Plate Consolation - Twin Cities Amazons 24, Washington Furies 14

November 7 Results
Plate Semis -
NOVA 39, Washington Furies 17
Keystone 34, Twin Cities Amazons 17

Championship Semis -
New York 27, Beantown 5
Berkeley All Blues 40, Minnesota Valkyries 5

11.7.08 - Just after their World Cup qualifying (although second place) finish in the Bahamas, the Women Eagles 7s Squad leaves for the Emirates Airline Dubai Rugby Sevens tournament on Nov. 21. The tournament itself will be held Nov. 27-29 in a brand new stadium simply called "The Sevens." The new structure will hold over 40,000 people. Another fun fact: The total square meters of grass at The Sevens is 64,000. That is a lot of room to run.

Traveling Squad:

• Lindsey Stephenson, At Large
• Amy Daniels, Beantown RFC
• Tyshawn Henry, NY RFC
• Alison Price, NY RFC
• Melissa McKibben, Kansas City RFC
• Kirsten Ahrendt, Keystone RFC
• Teena Mastrangelo, Chicago Northshore RFC
• Pam Kosanke, Chicago Northshore RFC
• Christy Ringgenberg, Minnesota Valkyries RFC
• Jen Starkey, NOVA RFC
• Jen Sinkler, Keystone RFC
• Jess Watkins, Stanford University

"Canada looked determined," USA Women's Head Coach Julie McCoy said after their matches. "But it's not about our opposition; it's about playing the game at our level and sometimes that is tough to do. It takes a lot of mental fortitude, but that's what I'm trying to instill in these players. I want them to always be challenged. I want them to always be preparing for competitive games."

To watch the games live via the web, please visit www.rugbybahamas.com. To get real-time scores from the tournament directly to your mobile phone, text 'RUGBY' to 32852.

NAWIRA RWC 7s Qualifiers Day 1 - Results

Women's Pool A
USA 45, Bermuda 0
Trinidad & Tobago 5, Guyana 0
Guyana 41, Bermuda 7
USA 52, Trinidad & Tobago 0
USA 45, Guyana 0
Trinidad & Tobago 36, Bermuda 0

Women's Pool B
Canada 53, Cayman 0
Jamaica 39, Barbados 0
Jamaica 48, Cayman 0
Canada 57, Barbados 0
Canada 27, Jamaica 0

Nine women's teams are contesting the NAWIRA qualifier this weekend, trying to secure one of two places available to play at RWC Sevens 2009 in Dubai next March.

The USA and Canada are favourites to take North America's two places in the inaugural Rugby World Cup Sevens women's competition.

The NAWIRA qualifier is the penultimate event on the road to RWC Sevens 2009 with only the Africa men's tournament to play before the identity of all 24 men's and 16 women's teams who will grace "The Sevens" are known.

Games to be Webcast

RugbyBahamas.com will be showing the Sevens World Cup Qualifiers live from Pitch 1 on Sat. 25th and Sun. 26th. Visit their website for more details.

Provisional WNT Sevens Calendar

• Oct. 23-27: US WC Qualifier, Nassau, Bahamas
• Nov. 22-Dec. 1: Dubai Sevens, Dubai, U.A.E
• Jan. 16-18: Little Rock Camp - Full squad testing/skills camp
• Jan. 30-Feb. 9: Little Rock Residency Program, full squad
• Feb. 9-16: USA 7s, San Diego, CA
  2 full squads to compete
• Feb 16-23: Little Rock Residency training
  WC Squad of 12 plus 2 travelling reserves selected during this week
• March 1-9: World Cup 2009, Dubai, U.A.E

from USA Rugby.com
BOULDER, Colo. - Following the footwork and skills camp in Little Rock over the weekend, USA Women's Sevens Team Coach Julie McCoy has named her final squad set to compete at the upcoming Rugby World Cup Sevens Qualifier in the Bahamas on October 25-26.

The team of 12 athletes, plus two traveling reserves was chosen from an initial pool of 21 athletes who assembled at the Greater Little Rock Inc. Rugby Complex to undergo fitness testing September 26-28. Saturday's work was spent on attack, and the players spent Sunday working on defensive footwork and tracking drills with USA Defensive Specialist Coach Peter Baggetta. The weekend culminated in four seven-minute scrimmages used for selection purposes.

"Overall, I thought the squad fitness was good, although there is room for improvement, as the numbers are non-peaking," Coach McCoy said. "We are working hard together on the principles of Sevens, practicing the fundamentals and adding pressure to the group."

"So far the athletes are showing great mental strength and responding to the challenge with great maturity and poise. I also have a great staff and consider myself a very lucky coach to have such great support," she added.

Upon final evaluations from the Women's Sevens coaching staff, the following players were named to represent the USA at the NAWIRA (North America West Indies Rugby Association) regional World Cup Qualifier:

• Kirsten Ahrendt (Keystone RFC)
• Ida Bernstein (Keystone RFC)
• Ellie Karvoski (Little Rock RFC)
• Phaidra Knight (New York RFC)
• Pam Kosanke (Chicago North Shore RFC)
• Teena Mastrangelo (Chicago North Shore RFC)
• Christy Ringgenberg - Captain (Minnesota Valkyries RFC)
• Ines Rodriguez (Keystone RFC)
• Jen Sinkler (Keystone RFC)
• Lindsey Stephenson (At-Large)
• Jess Watkins (Stanford University)
• Kelly White (Belmont Shore RFC)

Reserves: Tyshawn Henry (New York RFC) and Melissa McKibben (Kansas City RFC)

Also present at the camp were: Amy Daniels (Beantown RFC), Yancy Graf (Beantown RFC), Alison Price - inj. (New York RFC), Jenn Starkey - inj. (NOVA RFC), Donna Thomas - inj. (Little Rock RFC), and non-traveling reserves Lauren Rosso (Keystone RFC) and Heidi Whitman (Austin RFC)

USA Women's Staff includes: Head Coach Julie McCoy, assistant coaches Chris Ryan and Drew Fautley, Team Manager Sadeana Green, General Manager Tristan Lewis and physios Dr. Lisa Bartoli and Michael Moses.

The team next assembles in Miami, Fla. from October 18-22, before heading to the Bahamas for the Sevens WC Qualifier on October 23. The USA Women must finish among the top two places out of their North American and Caribbean competition to qualify for the Rugby World Cup Sevens.

Given the team qualifies, the U.S. Women will train together in Little Rock starting in mid-January and spanning through the end of February before McCoy names the final squad for the IRB Rugby World Cup Sevens, which will be held in Dubai from March 5-7.

9.2.08 - National 7s head coach Julie McCoy has announced the practice squad leading up to the 2009 Seven's World Cup. Following the National All-Star Sevens Championships, the final selections for the squad of 20 players plus 11 reserves will now continue on the road to the 2009 World Cup.

McCoy said, "these players have been selected to represent the US in the next World Cup. This elite squad will now practice and play together through the World Cup. We won't be looking any further for additional athletes. All Non traveling reserves will be expected to participate in the training and skills programs outside the camps, readying themselves for duty in the event players in the Practice Squad are dropped."

"The squad includes 3 developmental players, who are just out of the collegiate program or the developmental program. These players are included as we look forward to the next World Cup cycle."

All 20 players have already pledged their full commitment to attending every training camp scheduled to be held over the months leading into the Sevens RWC in Dubai next March.

"So far, the process has been very encouraging, as we've been fortunate to get 20 athletes to commit to taking a month away from personal obligations such as work and school to dedicate themselves fully to training. I'm very pleased at the number of athletes who have stepped up to the challenge and fully committed to winning the World Cup. Everyone is focused on the task at hand and I'm confident we can make enough progress needed to return from Dubai with the Cup," McCoy added.

McCoy has also named a handful of non-training reserves to this pool. These are players who were on the cusp of being in the top 20, and have committed to training along the same lines as the practice squad.

"The non-training reserves will train along with the 20 person pool at the same time," McCoy explained. "If we should have needs such as filling in for an athlete who should sustain a significant injury that would require 3-6 months off of training, or if a player initially chosen to the practice squad lacks progress in her fitness testing, we may bring up a player from the non-traveling reserves selections."

McCoy also is working with the USA Board of Directors and the City of Little Rock to ensure that players will not have to pay out-of-pocket for their upcoming travel and board expenses. Additionally, a stipend will assist players with other expenses.

"Giving the USA Women's Sevens Team the chance to compete and even win the Sevens World Cup is a top priority for USA Rugby and the Board of Directors and we're thankful for their provision of full (financial) support of these plans," Coach McCoy said."

Also released was a provisional schedule for the squad which, given that the team qualifies, culiminates in the final squad's participation in the Seven's World Cup in Dubai, U.A.E in March 2009.

Congratulations to the following players selected for the Women's National Team Sevens Player Pool:

View the World Cup Practice Squad.

Provisional WNT Sevens Calendar

• Sept. 4-7: US 7s Practice Camp, Bronxville NY
• Sept. 26-28: US 7s Footwork/Skills Camp, Little Rock, AR
  Fitness testing held to determine squad for the Qualifier. (12 players plus 2 travelling reserves)
• Oct. 18-22: US WC Qualifying Assembly, Miami, FL
• Oct. 23-27: US WC Qualifier, Nassau, Bahamas
• Nov. 22-Dec. 1: Dubai Sevens, Dubai, U.A.E
• Jan. 16-18: Little Rock Camp - Full squad testing/skills camp
• Jan. 30-Feb. 9: Little Rock Residency Program, full squad
• Feb. 9-16: USA 7s, San Diego, CA
  2 full squads to compete
• Feb 16-23: Little Rock Residency training
  WC Squad of 12 plus 2 travelling reserves selected during this week
• March 1-9: World Cup 2009, Dubai, U.A.E

9.2.08 - Check out photos of the amazing rugby played at the Nations Cup in England from Aug. 19th - 29th. The Women Eagles fell to England and Canada at the competition but gained valuable experience on the international stage.

More Nations Cup photos from Rugby Matters.org

Video Highlights from the Nations Cup.

In a fantastic contest between the Midwest and West, it was the Midwest that came out on top 19-17 to take home the cup. The Thunderbirds shutout three-time defending champions, the Northeast Women, 19-0 to earn their spot in the final and Kristy Ringgenberg was named tournament MVP for the women, a perfect ending for long-time Midwest Head Coach Mark Santiago, who has said this will be his final year coaching the side.

"I'm happy for our team, their incredible efforts and perseverance out on the pitch," Santiago said.

Plate honors were given to the 2007 champion sides, the Northeast powered past the Mid-Atlantic Women, 15-5 to take home some hardware of their own.

In the Bowl Final, Pacific Coast came out on top 17-12 over the Under-23 Women; and the SoCal Women too home a win in the seventh place match.

Day 2 Results
Pac Coast 17, So Cal 10 (Bowl Semi Finals)
Under-23s 15, South 10 ( Bowl Semi Finals)
Midwest 19, Northeast 0 (Cup Semi Finals)
West 10 MARFU 0 (Cup Semi Finals)
Southern California 17, South 0 (7/8th place)
Pacific Coast 17, Under-23s 12 (Bowl Final)
Northeast 15, MARFU 5 (Plate Final)
Midwest 19, West 17 (Cup Final)

The U.S. Women held possession for the better part of the first half and continued to attack inside Canada's end, but could not quite finish, sending both teams into the break with the score stuck at 0-0.

After switching sides, Canada caught the lead early 3-0 in the second half, off a penalty kick from Anna Schnell and try as they may, the USA Women could not capitalize on penalty opportunities of their own or push forward enough to retaliate.

As the game pressed on neither team could get the ball to drop in their favor and the game held at 3-0 until the 75th minute when Canada replacement center Mandy Marchak ran in for the first try of the game, with Julianne Zussman kicking the extras to put the team up 10-0.

Finally, inside injury time, Canada's Maria Gallo finished off the match, darting 40 meters to seal a 15-0 victory for the Canadian side.

"We had all of the tools needed for a win and had great practices leading into today's match, but we suffered because we couldn't retain possession of the ball and in the second half we stopped going forward," USA Women's Head Coach Kathy Flores said after the game.

Canada will meet England on Friday, August 29, for a friendly rematch, while the U.S. heads home, with a 0-2 tally in Nations Cup play. The team's loss against Canada came after an impressive display against the England Women, which saw the two sides battle it out to the bitter end, leading to a 17-14 final in England's favor.

USA 0
1 Farrah Douglas (Chicago North Shore), 2 Mari Wallace (Berkeley All Blues), 3 Jamie Burke (At-Large), 4 Jillion Potter (MN Valkyries), 5 Lara Vivolo (New York), 6 Mel Denham (Berkeley All Blues), 7 Beckett Royce (Oregon Sports Union), 8 Blair Groefsema (Berkeley All Blues), 9 Kim Magrini (Keystone), 10 Kristin Baja (New York), 11 Nathalie Marchino (Berkeley All Blues), 12 Lynelle Kugler (Glendale), 13 San Juanita Moreno (ORSU), 14 Desiree Markovich (Berkeley All Blues),

Replacements: 16 Lisa Butts (Davis Women), 17 Stacy Baker (Philadelphia) - in for Burke @ 62 min, 18 Christina Hobson (Morris Rugby), 19 Liz Dilley (Washington Furies) in for Royce @ 72 min, 20 Katy Hertel (Minnesota Valkyries), 21 Mel Kanuk (Maryland) in for Moreno @ 65 min, 22 Ashley Kmiecik (Emerald City Mudhens) in for Marchino @ 55 min

Yellow Card: Kugler @ 47 min

Canadian 15
15. Julianne Zussman 14. Brittney Waters (Velox Valkryies) 13. Maria Gallo (At Large) 12. Stevi Schnoor (United) 11. Cheryl Phillips (Toronto Scottish) 10. Anna Schnell (Burnaby Lake) 9. Laura Stoughton (Calgary Irish) 8. Kelly Russell (Toronto Nomads) 7. Barbara Mervin (Velox Valkryies) 6. Jennifer Kish (Edmonton Rockers) 4. Paige Burdett (Calgary Irish) 3. Marlene Donaldson (Velox Valkryies) 1. Kim Donaldson (Burnaby Lake)

Replacements: 16. Nicole Tyminksi (Edmonton Druids) 17. Leslie Cripps (Saracens - Eng) 18. Heather Jacques (Capilano) 19. Katies Murray (Lep Tigers) 21. Ashley Patzer (Lethbridge) 22. Mandy Marchak (Capilano)

Tries: Marchak, Gallo Conversions: Zussman PKs: Schnell

Fan Feedback!
Send your message of
support to the team
as they embark on a
tough schedule at the
Nations Cup. Send Fan Feedback
Read Fan Feedback

8.25.08 - The Women Eagles will take on Canada in the final match of the Nation's Cup on Tuesday. Head Coach Kathy Flores released the roster for the match which now includes previously injured captain and fullback Ashley English.

Following a close battle to the finish that saw the U.S. narrowly miss out to England on August 22, Flores has opted to roll on the team's momentum and named many of the same starters from the Friday evening match.

The pack remains completely intact from the USA versus England match, starting with Farrah Douglas, Mari Wallace and Jamie Burke leading the charge in the front row.

After putting in an impressive performance out of position on Friday, Jillion Potter has again earned herself a starting spot at lock, where she is joined by Lara Vivolo. Mel Denham and Beckett Royce are in at blindside and openside flanker, respectively, while Blair Groefsema rounds out the pack at Number 8.

The backs showcase four shifts in the starting lineup from the USA's last match. Kim Magrini retains her spot at scrumhalf, along with flyhalf Kristin Baja and wing Nathalie Marchino, while Lynelle Kugler shifts over to inside center.

New additions to the starting line-up include, San Juanita Moreno at outside center, Desiree Markovich at wing and veteran Ashley English returns to the team at fullback after sustaining a minor injury while training earlier in the tour.

Reserves include: Lisa Butts, Stacy Baker, Christina Hobson, Elizabeth Dilley, Katy Hertel, Mel Kanuk, and Ashley Kmiecik.

The staff joining the team for the Nations Cup includes: Head Coach Kathy Flores, Assistant Coach Candi Orsini, Forwards Coach Alex Williams, Backs Coach Krista McFarren, Physician Lisa Bartoli, Athletic Trainer Sarah Percy and Team Manager Ginger Stringer.

England Clenches Nations Cup

Canada dropped their first Cup match in a hard fought battle to England, 9-43, on Sunday evening, making England the clear winner for the series. England ran in seven tries against the Canadians. Now the US and Canada will play off for the runner's up spot in the inaugural Nation's Cup.

US Women's National Team vs Canada Roster

1. Farrah Douglas (Chicago North Shore)
2. Mari Wallace (Berkeley All-Blues)
3. Jamie Burke (At-large)
4. Jillion Potter (MN Valkyries)
5. Lara Vivolo (New York)
6. Mel Denham (Beantown)
7. Beckett Royce (Oregon Sports Union)
8. Blair Groefsema (Berkeley All-Blues)
9. Kim Magrini (Keystone)
10. Kristin Baja (New York)
11. Nathalie Marchino (Berkeley All-Blues)
12. Lynelle Kugler (Glendale)
13. San Juanita Moreno (Oregon Sports Union)
14. Desiree Markovich (MN Valkyries)
15. Ashley English (Berkeley All-Blues)
    
    
16. Lisa Butts (Davis Women)
17. Stacy Baker (Philadelphia)
18. Christina Hobson (New York)
19. Elizabeth Dilley (Washington Furies)
20. Katy Hertel (MN Valkyries)
21. Mel Kanuk (Maryland)
22. Ashley Kmiecik (Emerald City Mudhens)

Canada Names Squad for US Match

8.26.08 - from Rugby Canada
Canada has named its side that will face its southern rivals the USA at the Women's Nations Cup in England on Tuesday evening. There is a lot of experience in the Canadian forwards unit as coach Quentin Fyffe looks to play it close with the physicality of the Americans. Fyffe says that the USA will offer more bite at the breakdown, something he is hoping to counter with his forward selections.

"Yeah - (The Eagles) are more combative at the break downs, while England had a more expansive and wider game," explained Fyffe from England. "I think we will match up well with the US forwards."

But that does not mean the Calgary based coach doesn't fancy his chances in the backs either, selecting speed and veteran nouse from 10 through 15. Fyffe contends that England beat Canada to the breakdowns in the second half - as fatigue set in - allowing for the home side to balloon the score that had Canada adrift by just three points at 12-9.

"Against England in second half - they just overpowered us by their better conditioning," explained Fyffe, who will be using his bench to good effect on Tuesday night.

"We do have a strong bench - we went early enough," he said, but admitted that travel and the extra games England has played gave the hosts an advantage.

The match kicks off at 7PM local time in the UK - at Esher RFC

from USARugby.org
8.22.08 - In a hard fought battle to the very end, the USA Women's National Team kicked off its Nations Cup tournament with a narrow 17-14 defeat against the England Women at Esher Rugby Club on Friday evening.

Following a lackluster showing when the two squads last met in pre-Nations Cup tune-up match on Tuesday, August 19, the Women Eagles came out thirsty to redeem themselves, in a highly physical first half.

"I'm very pleased with the improved performance of the team since the warm-up match on Tuesday. This week we worked on skills and portions of our game that we had identified as fixable. There is still room for improvement across the field, but overall we've come a long way," said USA Rugby Women's National Team Head Coach Kathy Flores. "I'm thankful we had the first game against England to use as a benchmark going forward."

Despite a missed penalty opportunity at 25 minutes, the USA quickly recovered and drew first blood inside minute 28 with winger Nathalie Marchino (Berkeley All Blues) diving in for a try beneath the posts and the successful conversion from Kristin Baja (New York), to go up 7-0.

England fought back to cut the deficit to three points with a Katy McLean penalty and then capitalized on the loss of U.S. prop Jamie Burke to the sin bin as they continued to put pressure on the Women Eagles.

Just before the close of the half, England spread the ball out-wide, eventually reaching center Michaela Staniford, who powered in for the team's first try and with McLean converting England took a 10-7 lead in injury time.

However, after switching sides, the U.S. showed its true colors. Captain Kim Magrini (Keystone) led the charge with a quick tap penalty deep in England's territory and she caught England unaware to run through and score. Once again, Baja notched a conversion to put the Eagles out front 14-10 with 53 minutes gone.

"Our captain Kim Magrini displayed fantastic leadership on the field. She did a great job of organizing the team and making creative plays," Flores added. "Jillion Potter also adjusted well to playing out of position and did a wonderful job for us today."

But it was England who would have the last score, however, responding to the pressure and with a try from fullback Charlotte Barras. Sub Kimberley Oliver added the conversion to take a 17-14 lead on 64 minutes, where the scoreline would remain despite a brutal back and forth battle to the finish.

"I'm really proud of our performance tonight," USA captain Kim Magrini said following the loss. "We've really come together and improved since Tuesday and we'll be taking the momentum from this game into our next match against Canada on Tuesday."

Next up in the USA Women's Nations Cup campaign is a match versus Canada at Esher RFC on Tuesday, August 26, 2008 at 7 p.m.

Match Report

from RugbyRugby.com
England were forced to battle until the bitter end of their Nations Cup curtainraiser game against the USA on Friday night at Esher RFC, winning 17-14.

The reigning Six Nations and European champions faced an altogether different challenge to the US team they played in a friendly fixture on Tuesday and thumped 50-3. The Eagles showed passion and pride to take the game to the hosts and made England throw everything they had to win the tournament opener.

Both sides kicked-off the clash fiercely and although the hosts dominated possession early on, the USA refused to give up and after a physically demanding first 25 minutes the US were awarded a penalty.

Flyhalf Kristin Baja couldn't stroke the kick over, but their wing Natalie Marchino followed it up and pounced on the wayward ball to dive under the posts and hand the US a surprise lead. Baja, this time, converted to take a 7-0 lead.

England clawed back three points with a Katy McLean penalty and then capitalised on the loss of US prop Jamie Burke to the sin bin as they pressurised America's line.

A well taken line-out, just five metres out from the try-line, saw England spread the ball out wide through McLean and Amy Turner, who then off-loaded to Michaela Staniford. The Wasps centre then showed her strength to power over the line. With McLean converting England took a 10-7 lead in injury time.

But England's advantage didn't last long and the US showed their commitment again after the break by keeping England at bay. They took their chances too, and again were rewarded for it. This time scrumhalf and captain Kim Magrini took a quick tap penalty deep in England's territory and she caught England unaware to run through and score. Baja again added the conversion to hand the Eagles a 14-10 lead with 53 minutes gone.

England, however, responded to the pressure and with super sub Kim Oliver executing a clever offload to Charlotte Barras, the full-back showed her turn of speed to charge through three defenders and run in and score from 45 metres. Oliver added the conversion to take a 17-14 lead on 64 minutes.

England and the US continued to battle hard and the home side went close to stretching their lead when Staniford made another good break, only to be brought down just short of the line. England instead had to settle for their two tries and take a thrilling 17-14 victory.

England Head Coach Gary Street said: "To take this victory shows the strength of this team. This was a very hard test and we had made 12 changes for the match and that does not help with consistency. However, I thought the team showed tremendous determination, they never gave up and came back and deserved to win."

8.22.08 - from RugbyRugby.com
England play the USA in the opening match of the Nations Cup to be played at Esher RFC, London, on Friday evening, 22 August.

The two teams met on Tuesday when England ran out winners 50-3. This is, at least in theory, a stronger England side while the USA team also has changes.

The pack remains largely intact. Farrah Douglas starts at loosehead and Jamie Burke moves to tighthead. Mari Wallace comes in at hooker. Lara Vivolo joins Jillion Potter at lock with Beckett Royce moving to flank.

The USA coach Kathy Flores said of the coming match: "We've worked hard on improving the point of contact in training since Tuesday's game and are prepared to better compete against the English scrum. We're looking forward to providing better set piece ball for the backs so they can maintain possession and have an opportunity to finish. "

England's coach Gary Street made no fewer than 12 changes from the team which won on Tuesday.

Karen Jones takes over the captaincy armband while Catherine Spencer is rested. Lock Jo McGilchrist is the only forward to start her second consecutive game while Katy McLean starts again at fly-half . Amy Turner and Michaela Staniford move into the centre positions, while Charlotte Barras moves to full-back.

Street said: "We have made several changes and this is because we have got to make sure we have enough players in our elite squad who are capable of playing international rugby at a high standard. From selecting this squad I am confident these players will do as good as job as the team on Tuesday did."

"This is the start of the Nations Cup, but for us this match is all about playing as good as rugby as we can. Every game we play is as important as the next and I always expect the players to have the same attitude. The USA are a brave, strong rugby nation and I am sure they'll be looking to improve their performance against us on Friday evening."

On Sunday, England will play Canada who play the USA on Tuesday.

Teams:

USA: 15 Ashley Kmiecik (Seattle Mudhens), 14 Vanesha McGee (Philadelphia), 13 Lynelle Kugler (Glendale), 12 Mel Kanuk (Maryland Stingers), 11 Nathalie Marchino (Berkeley All Blues), 10 Kristin Baja, (New York), 9 Kim Magrini (Keystone) (captain), 8 Blair Groefsema (Berkeley All Blues), 7 Beckett Royce (ORSU), 6 Mel Denham (Beantown), 5 Lara Vivolo (New York), 4 Jillion Potter (Minnesota Valkyries), 3 Jamie Burke (At-Large), 2 Mari Wallace (Berkeley All Blues), 1 Farrah Douglas (Chicago North Shore) Replacements: 16 Lisa Butts (Berkeley All Blues), 17 Stacy Baker (Philadelphia), 18 Christina Hobson (Morris Pride), 19 Allyson Hemstreet (Berkeley All Blues), 20 Katy Hertel (Minnesota Valkyries), 21 San Juanita Moreno (ORSU), 22 Desiree Markovich (Minnesota Valkyries)

England: 15 Charlotte Barras (Saracens), 14 Katherine Merchant (Worcester), 13 Michaela Staniford (Wasps), 12 Amy Turner (Richmond), 11 Fiona Pocock (Richmond), 10 Katy McLean (Darlington Mowden Park Sharks), 9 Georgina Rozario (Plymouth Albion), 8 Karen Jones (Richmond) (captain), 7 Gemma Sharples (Worcester), 6 Sarah Hunter (Lichfield), 5 Joanna McGilchrist (Wasps), 4 Natalie Binstead (Wasps), 3 Rosemarie Crowley (Lichfield), 2 Emma Layland (Richmond), 1 Sophie Hemming (Clifton) Replacements: 16 Samantha Dale (Worcester), 17 Katy Storie (Blaydon Team Northumbria), 18 Tamara Taylor (Darlington Mowden Park Sharks), 19 Margaret Alphonsi (Saracens), 20 Danielle Waterman (Clifton), 21 Kimberley Oliver (Clifton), 22 Georgina Roberts (Darlington Mowden Park Sharks)

Referee: Claire Daniels
Touch judges: Andrea Ttofa, Becky Patrick
Assessor: Clive Nicholas

Check out additional coverage on IRB.com.

8.21.08 - The US National Team will again take on England tomorrow in the first official match of the inaugural Nations Cup. After Tuesday's warm-up match against England, a 3-50 loss, the US faces an uphill battle.

The USA pack remains largely in tact from Tuesday evening's match-up, with Farrah Douglas (Chicago North Shore) starting at loosehead prop and Jamie Burke (At-Large) sliding over to tighthead prop, with Mari Wallace (Berkeley All Blues) joining the team at hooker. In the second row Jillion Potter (Minnesota Valkyries) again suits up at lock, joined by Lara Vivolo (New York), while Beckett Royce makes the move to flanker (ORSU) along with Mel Denham (Beantown), and Blair Groefsema (Berkeley All Blues) rounds out the pack at No. 8.

The backs are led by team captain Kim Magrini (Keystone) at scrumhalf and vice captain Kristin Baja (New York) at flyhalf, with Nathalie Marchino (Berkeley All Blues) and Vanesha McGee (Philadelphia) on the wings. Mel Kanuk (Maryland Stingers) and Lynelle Kugler (Glendale) are set to play inside and outside center, respectively, while Ashley Kmiecik (Seattle Mudhens) again fills the fullback role.

Head Coach Kathy Flores said, "We've worked hard on improving the point of contact in training since Tuesday's game and are prepared to better compete against the English scrum. We're looking forward to providing better set piece ball for the backs so they can maintain possession and have an opportunity to finish."

Kim Magrini, captain and starting scrumhalf for the Women Eagles said, "We're really looking forward to this rematch with England on Friday and putting together what we've learned from the first match and over the last few days."

US Flyhalf Kristen Baja,who provided the only scoring in the first match added, "We've learned a lot from our first match and have been working really hard to come together as a team these last two days. We're excited for the opportunity to face England again and show them all we've improved across the field."

The match will again be played at Esher Rugby Club, Friday, August 22 with kick off at 7pm.

US Roster for England Match - Aug. 22, 2008

1. Farrah Douglas
2. Mari Wallace
3. Jamie Burke
4. Jillion Potter
5. Lara Vivolo
6. Mel Denham
7. Beckett Royce
8. Blair Groefsema
9. Kim Magrini (captain)
10. Kristin Baja (vice captain)
11. Nathalie Marchino
12. Mel Kanuk
13. Lynelle Kugler
14. Vanesha McGee
15. Ashley Kmiecik
    
    
16. Lisa Butts
17. Stacy Baker
18. Christina Hobson
19. Allyson Hemstreet
20. Katy Hertel
21. San Juanita Moreno
22. Desiree Markovich

8.19.08 - (from England RFU by Julia Hutton)
England Women warmed up for the inaugural Nations Cup with an impressive and powerful display against the USA at Esher Rugby Club on Tuesday evening. The reigning RBS 6 Nations and European Champions, who will kick-off their Nations Cup campaign against the USA on Friday, 7pm at Esher also, ran in a blistering eight tries, including one for Lichfield's Emily Scarratt on her debut. Vice-captain Katy McLean also kicked five conversions to secure the win. The final score for the match was USA 3, England 50.

The USA proved dogged opposition in the opening stages and kept England at bay until the eighth minute, and then the flood gates opened.

USA clawed back a penalty in the first-half thanks to fly-half Kristen Baja but they had to settle for a 31-3 deficit at the break.

After the restart England called in the back-up and made six replacements. The changes didn't unsettle the hosts and Barras soon ran in for a try after a superb break and charge down field.

England Head Coach Gary Street said: "I'm really happy with this performance. We have got a lot to work on, but the style of rugby we want to play was very evident tonight.

"It's really satisfying to score eight tries against a very physical side but we have got to make sure we are not blasé about this win as we look ahead to Friday's Nations Cup game."

The US squad is staying and training at Brunel University in Uxbridge, England. Having arrived in the afternoon on the 17th, it was a quick turnaround to their first match on the 19th against England. Captain Ashley English sustained a training injury and subsequently was removed from the reserve list and replaced by Nathalie Marchino (Berkeley All Blues.) Liz Dilley (Washington Furies) served as Eagle Vice Captain in this opening match of the tour. The Women Eagles will have a few days to regroup before they meet England for the Nations Cup opener on Aug. 22.

"Although we have improved a great deal in our fitness and execution since December, the outcome of today's match was somewhat expected, following a day of training together in England. However, we will use this match as a benchmark going forward in the Nations Cup competition," Women's National Team Head Coach Kathy Flores said. "In the end, England dominated us across the field, but this is a good foundation to build on and we can take away valuable lessons from today's match."

USA
1 Jamie Burke (At-Large), 2 Lisa Butts (Davis Women), 3 Stacy Baker (Philadelphia), 4 Beckett Royce (ORSU), 5 Jillion Potter (Minnesota Valkyries), 6 Liz Dilley (C) (DC Furies), 7 Mel Denham (Beantown), 8 Blair Groefsema (Berkeley All Blues), 9 Katy Hertel (MN Valkyries), 10 Kristin Baja (New York), 11 Desiree Markovich (Minnesota Valkyries), 12 Elise Myer (Maryland Stingers), 13 Emilie Bydwell (Beantown), 14 Vanesha McGee (Philadelphia), 15 Ashley Kmiecik (Seattle Mudhens). Replacements: 16 Farrah Douglas (Chicago North Shore), 17 Lara Vivolo (New York), 18 Sarah Walsh (Chicago North Shore), 19 Christina Hobson (New York), 20 Katy Hertel (Minnesota Valkyries), 21 Mel Kanuk (Maryland Stingers), 22 Nathalie Marchino
Penalties: Baja

England
1 Rochelle Clark (Henley), 2 Amy Garnett (Saracens), 3 Katy Storie (Blaydon Team Northumbria), 4 Tamara Taylor (Darlington Mowden Park Sharks), 5 Joanna McGilchrist (Wasps), 6 Sarah Beale (Leos), 7 Margaret Alphonsi (Saracens), 8 Catherine Spencer (C) (Bath), 9 Amy Turner ( Richmond), 10 Katy McLean (vc) (Darlington Mowden Park Sharks), 11 Michaela Staniford (Wasps), 12 Kim Oliver (Clifton), 13 Georgina Roberts (Darlington Mowden Park Sharks), 14 Charlotte Barras (Saracens), 15 Danielle Waterman (Clifton). Replacements: 16 Emma Layland (Richmond), 17 Sophie Hemming (Clifton), 18 Natalie Binstead (Wasps), 19 Gemma Sharples (Worcester), 20 Georgina Rozario (Plymouth Albion), 21 Emily Scarratt (Lichfield), 22 Francesca Matthews (Richmond)

Tries: McGilchrist, Staniford, Taylor, Oliver, Alphonsi, Barras, Scarratt, Turner
Conversions: McLean (5)
Substitutions: Hemming for Clark, Binstead for McGilchrist, Layland for Garnett, Scarratt for Roberts (all 45), Rozario for Oliver, Sharples for Alphonsi (56), Matthews for Barras (59)

Half-time: England 31 USA 3

Referee Joyce Henry (Canada)
Touch Judges: Andrea Ttofa, Claire Hodnett

Complete Match Schedule:
England v USA, August 19th at Esher RFC, KO 7pm
England v USA August 22nd at Esher RFC Nations Cup, KO 7pm
England v Canada August 24th at Esher RFC Nations Cup, KO 5pm
USA v Canada August 26th at Esher RFC Nations Cup, KO 7pm
England v Canada August 29th at Esher RFC, KO 7pm

8.18.08 - from USA Rugby - The USA Rugby's Women's National team is set to play a warm-up match against England prior to the official start of the Nations Cup. The match will kickoff at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, August 19, at the Esher Rugby Club, on the outskirts of London.

The U.S. women have been rebuilding their squad since a competitive 4-1 showing at the 2006 Women's Rugby World Cup, after which many veteran players retired. The Women's Eagles last traveled to England for a three-match tour in December 2007 and were defeated by the England Women, although the match gave the U.S. squad's 19 new caps some much-needed international experience.

The bulk of the squad is comprised of players with a cap or two under their belts, who are looking to prove themselves against top international opposition. A number of the young players from December's squad have returned, including Jillion Potter (Minnesota Valkyries) and Emilie Bydwell (Beantown).

A handful of WNT veterans such as such as Captain Ashley English (Berkeley All-Blues), Jamie Burke (At-Large) and Kristin Baja (New York) will also make the trip to England. Flanker and Vice Captain Liz Dilley (Washington D.C. Furies) will partner an aggressive back row with Number 8 Blair Groefsema (Berkeley All-Blues) and Flanker Mel Denham (Beantown), making her international debut.

"For our opening match, we've selected a good blend of experience and those previously untested in international play. As the new laws have added close to 10 minutes more of play, we are looking to the increase in our fitness level to help equalize the playing field for us," said Women's National Team Head Coach Kathy Flores. "The first match is often the hardest in terms of hitting the ground running; however, the players are excited and determined to improve their showing over the last time we met England in December."

The U.S. will meet up with England again, in the opening match of the Nations Cup, at 7 p.m. on Friday, August 22, also at the Esher Rugby Club. The USA's second Nations Cup match versus Canada will be played at Esher on Tuesday, August 26.

USA v England

1. Jamie Burke (At-Large)
2. Lisa Butts (Davis Women)
3. Stacy Baker (Philadelphia)
4. Beckett Royce (ORSU)
5. Jillion Potter (Minnesota Valkyries)
6. Liz Dilley (DC Furies)
7. Mel Denham (Beantown)
8. Blair Groefsema (Berkeley All Blues)
9. Kim Magrini (Keystone)
10. Kristin Baja (New York)
11. Desiree Markovich (Minnesota Valkyries)
12. Elise Myer (Maryland Stingers)
13. Emilie Bydwell (Beantown)
14. Vanesha McGee (Philadelphia)
15. Ashley Kmiecik (Seattle Mudhens)
16. Farrah Douglas (Chicago North Shore)
17. Lara Vivolo (New York)
18. Sarah Walsh (Chicago North Shore)
19. Christina Hobson (Morris)
20. Katy Hertel (Minnesota Valkyries)
21. Mel Kanuk (Maryland Stingers)
22. Ashley English (C) (Berkeley All Blues)

7.25.08 - Last weekend's Women's National Team camp in Baltimore brought together the Nation's Cup Squad who will travel to England for several matches August 15-31.

US Women's head coach, Kathy Flores said, "I feel the camp was very successful for the short amount of time we were together. We had two and half days to work out some of the challenges we faced in our December England tour and to try to play within the new ELVs. Granted, the team composition is different from the first tour which saw a younger and a bit more international inexperience. However, it was a good time in the cycle to introduce those players to the rigors of international competition so they know what will be required of them to compete for a slot in the next World Cup."

This WNT camp was partially funded by the WNT and also by the players themselves, in an effort to keep future tour expenses down. The WNT would like to thank Dan Soso who kindly facilitated discounted use of the Maryland Exiles field and Lee Kelly of Gonzaga High School in Washington, D.C. who allowed the team use of the entire facility including field space, classroom, and facilities. Gonzaga HS could also be host to future training opportunities.

Flores said, "the players were pushing the standard to the next level in training. Ideally, this is what the staff hoped would take place and we weren't disappointed. In the upcoming games, we are going to compete against two very strong teams and look forward to not only further development of our players, but competing on stronger terms than our last tour. This camp was used as a preparation for the tour, not only in terms of cohesion, but to discuss the ELVs and compete within their scope."

At the camp, Tom Lyons, a national panel referee, was present and available for Question and Answer sessions and also to manage the scrimmages.

View photos from the Washington, D.C. Women's National Team Camp.

Next up for the Women Eagles is the Nations Cup, in England, where they will meet England and Canada in international matches.

Poster for the Nations
Cup from England RFU.

The scheduled matches will take place at Esher Rugby Club:
USA vs. England - August 19, 7pm
USA vs. England - August 22, 7pm
USA vs. Canada - August 26, 7pm

Nations Cup Squad

1. Kristin Baja - NRU, New York
2. Stacy Baker - MARFU, Philadelphia
3. Jamie Burke - PAC, Berkeley All-Blues
4. Lisa Butts - PAC, Berkeley All-Blues
5. Emilie Bydwell - NRU, Brown University
6. Mel Denham - NRU, Beantown
7. Liz Dilley - MARFU, Washington Furies
8. Farrah Douglas - MW, Chicago North Shore
9. Ashley English - PAC, Berkeley
10. Blair Groefsema - PAC, Berkeley
11. Allyson Hemstreet - PAC, Berkeley
12. Katy Hertel - MW, Minnesota Valkyries
13. Christina Hobson - NRU, Morris Pride
14. Mel Kanuk - MARFU, Maryland Stingers
15. Ashley Kmiecik - PAC, Seattle Mudhens
16. Lynelle Kugler - W, Glendale
17. Kim Magrini - NRU, Keystone
18. Nathalie Marchino - PAC, Berkeley All-Blues
19. Desiree Markovich - MW, Minnesota Valkyries
20. Vanesha McGee - MARFU, Philadelphia
21. San Juanita Moreno - PAC, ORSU
22. Elise Myer - MARFU, Maryland Stingers
23. Jillian Potter - MW, Minnesota Stingers
24. Lara Vivolo - NRU, New York
25. Mari Wallace - PAC, Berkeley All-Blues
26. Sarah Walsh - MW, Chicago Northshore
27. Rose Whitmore - PAC, Berkeley All-Blues

1. Kristen Aliberto - MARFU, Philadelphia
2. Kassie Drey - MW, University of No. Iowa
3. Heather Jennings - PAC, Seattle Mudhens
4. Tess Kohanski - NRU, At-Large
5. Kristy Lear - MW, Minnesota Valkyries
6. Kati McCormick - MW, Univ. Wisconsin-Milwaukee
7. Saburah Posner - MARFU, Philadelphia
8. Beckett Royce - PAC, ORSU
9. Jessica Travers - MW, UIC
10. Sheara Williamson - MARFU, Philadelphia

Nations Cup Staff

• Kathy Flores - Head Coach
• Candi Orsini - Assistant Coach
• Alex Williams - Assistant Coach
• Dr. Lisa Bartoli - Team Doctor
• Sara Percy - Trainer
• Ginger Stringer- Manager

Women's National Team Prepares for Nations Cup

WASHINGTON, D.C. - This past weekend, the Women's National Team met in Washington, D.C. in preparation for the Nations Cup Tournament to take place in England on August 19-26.

The Eagles trained at two locations during the weekend camp: the Exiles pitch in Rockville, MD and Gonzaga High School in Washington, D.C.

"Many thanks are owed to Dan Soso (Exiles) and Lee Kelly (Gonzaga High School) for securing facilities for the team to use during the camp. Both Dan and Lee were incredibly generous," said WNT Head Coach Kathy Flores.

The Eagle squad was joined by several local tight five players from the Furies and Philadelphia teams to fill in for the reserves that had been invited to participate in the Developmental Can-Am event in Toronto, Canada.

"In a discussion with Coach Barb Fugate, it was decided the reserves for the camp should have the opportunity to play internationally as opposed to training with the Eagle squad," said Coach Flores.

Along with the regular WNT staff, Peter Baggetta, USA Defensive Coach, and Tom Lyons, USA National Panel referee, helped prepare the team for what will mark the WNT's first opportunity to compete in nearly eight months.

Training for two and a half days in 100 degree temperatures, the team revisited their set piece work, defensive organization and communication, as well as their offensive strategy with regard to the new Experimental Law Variations.

"I believe the team is much fitter than our training in April and despite the weather, retained their focus for the amount of work we were trying to accomplish over the weekend. We are certainly at a disadvantage having to play under the new laws without having trialed them here, but Tom was an invaluable resource for us ’Äì not only in his discussions of the laws but in his management during our scrimmage periods," said Coach Flores.

The squad will arrive in England on August 17 and play the England National Team in their first match two days later. The USA will take on England again on July 22 and then will take on the Canadian National Team on July 26.

The players selected for the Nation's Cup continue the four-year evolution toward building a squad that can compete successfully in the Women's Rugby World Cup 2010. Last December's tour to England was the first rung on the ladder, giving valuable experience to a squad with 19 new caps. The Nation's Cup roster represents added maturity and is closer to the core group of players that will move forward to the next World Cup two years from now.

"Since we met in December, England has played and won the Six Nations Tournament. While we anticipate a stronger showing this time around, we recognize that we can not yet match their level of experience or amount of time together," said Flores. "Our goal for the Nations Cup is to improve our execution of set pieces, play aggressive defense and retain possession of the ball in order to open up some opportunities to attack. This event represents a valuable step towards preparing our players for the next World Cup."

Jen Starkey advances the ball
in one of Saturday's wins.
Photo credit: www.paolopolla.com

5.21.08 - With the close of the Amsterdam Seven's the Women Eagles Seven's Team is looking ahead to a busy international schedule culminating with the World Cup next year.

Head Coach Julie McCoy said, "I was extremely pleased with the US' Amsterdam performance. Our draw was pretty easy on Saturday, so it was difficult for all of us to maintain discipline in regards to our offensive and defensive game plans. Sunday's games were a better challenge for all of us, as the teams we played boasted more athletes."

"Our semi-final game against the Samurai (England) was very exciting, and really could have gone either way. In spite of 3 mental errors in the first half (missed conversion from a centered try, kick-off not 10 meters, direct lineout throw to the opposite team), we were still in contention at half, 5-7. The second half was very defensive, with the US having more long breaks on offense. Both teams demonstrated sensational individual tackles, which is a testament to little either team wanted to lose."

"In the end, we were able to compete in the tournament and also break in four new players to International 7s. The core players know what training and practiced skills will be necessary for them to realize their dream of winning the World Cup. I believe this group can do anything."

The US Women's Development 7s team has several venues scheduled this summer, including an "Emerging USA" Tour to South Africa in early August. The senior players will use the early summer to gain strength, then play out the domestic Territorial Union 7s season.

McCoy adds, "It is an exciting time for US Women's 7s as each player begins to compete for their spot on the World Class Pool list to be named at the end of August."

McCoy is currently in London working with Gordon Tietjens (the NZ mens' 7s team coach) this week in a USA RUGBY funded "shadowing" capacity as the team builds toward London 7s this weekend, and Scotland 7s, the next. McCoy said "I am working hard also to be the coach these players deserve! I thank the NZRFU for this opportunity."

12.7.07 - For Women Eagles tour news from the 2007 First Sports International England Tour check out our News Archive. For a inside look at what happened in England take a look at USA Rugby's Player's Daily Journal.

Check out WomenEagles.com's lastest desktop photos. Support the US Women Eagles by displaying our FREE WomenEagles.com wallpaper on your computer.

Visit the WomenEagles.com Downloads page!

6.3.08 - The US has selected an elite squad to compete at the newly formed Nations Cup in August. Hoping to stimulate World Cup-like competition in the years preceeding the actual WRWC, England established the first Nations Cup to take place August 15-31, 2008. The national teams, all top finishers in the last Women's World Cup, competing are: USA, England, Canada and Wales.

US Head Coach Kathy Flores is enthusiastic about the tournament, "As we get very few competitions, it's extremely important for the USA to attend this tournament. Each international match we can schedule is vital to the progress of the team as we look to the next World Cup. We hope to be able to fundraise enough to make the tour accessible to the invited players."

Flores said, "we chose most of the invited players from the last Elite Camp as we did a lot of specific training there and were able to evaluate the strongest players in competition."

"The main qualities we are looking for at this level are: decision-making under pressure, attention to their particular positional requirements, a strong mental determination and compliance to our training program. With our limited exposure to international play, we need our fitness to be no less than superb."

"As for goals for this specific tour, we always play to win, and especially because of our last tour record, we would like to post some wins and gain international experience at a high level. It would be fair to say that every game of this tour will be a challenge for us."

Although the squad has been chosen for the Nations Cup, the WNT staff will be at these elite events reviewing player performances for possible additions to the pool.

National Guard Women's and U-23 All-Star Championships - June 13-15, 2008
Women's Club Playoffs and Championships

Coach Flores said, "we are constantly identifying players that could compete at an international level, particularly at the NASCs. It's important that the top level players identified from each territory not only play together but compete against each other to help them make better decisions under pressure. The combination of the Women and U23 sides, though not ideal, puts both USA "A" staff and WNT staff together to be able to discuss players and their possible inclusion, if they are not already part, into the pool."

Prior to the tour, the Women Eagles will have a camp in Baltimore, Maryland in July 18-20. The Nation's Cup squad and reserves will participate. The camp will be used to prepare the players for competition and strategies under the Experimental Law Variations (ELVs) that are to be rolled out on August 1, 2008.

Nations Cup Squad

1. Kristin Baja - NRU, New York
2. Stacy Baker - MARFU, Philadelphia
3. Jamie Burke - PAC, Berkeley All-Blues
4. Lisa Butts - PAC, Berkeley All-Blues
5. Emilie Bydwell - NRU, Brown University
6. Mel Denham - NRU, Beantown
7. Liz Dilley - MARFU, Washington Furies
8. Farrah Douglas - MW, Chicago North Shore
9. Ashley English - PAC, Berkeley
10. Blair Groefsema - PAC, Berkeley
11. Allyson Hemstreet - PAC, Berkeley
12. Katy Hertel - MW, Minnesota Valkyries
13. Christina Hobson - NRU, Morris Pride
14. Mel Kanuk - MARFU, Maryland Stingers
15. Ashley Kmiecik - PAC, Seattle Mudhens
16. Lynelle Kugler - W, Glendale
17. Kim Magrini - NRU, Keystone
18. Nathalie Marchino - PAC, Berkeley All-Blues
19. Desiree Markovich - MW, Minnesota Valkyries
20. Vanesha McGee - MARFU, Philadelphia
21. San Juanita Moreno - PAC, ORSU
22. Elise Myer - MARFU, Maryland Stingers
23. Jillian Potter - MW, Minnesota Stingers
24. Lara Vivolo - NRU, New York
25. Mari Wallace - PAC, Berkeley All-Blues
26. Sarah Walsh - MW, Chicago Northshore
27. Rose Whitmore - PAC, Berkeley All-Blues

1. Kristen Aliberto - MARFU, Philadelphia
2. Kassie Drey - MW, University of No. Iowa
3. Heather Jennings - PAC, Seattle Mudhens
4. Tess Kohanski - NRU, At-Large
5. Kristy Lear - MW, Minnesota Valkyries
6. Kati McCormick - MW, Univ. Wisconsin-Milwaukee
7. Saburah Posner - MARFU, Philadelphia
8. Beckett Royce - PAC, ORSU
9. Jessica Travers - MW, UIC
10. Sheara Williamson - MARFU, Philadelphia

Nations Cup Staff

• Kathy Flores - Head Coach
• Candi Orsini - Assistant Coach
• Alex Williams - Assistant Coach
• Dr. Lisa Bartoli - Team Doctor
• Sara Percy - Trainer
• Ginger Stringer- Manager

The Senior Northeast Women hoist
the 2008 Championship trophy after
defeating the defending champs Midwest. 6.18.08 (from reports by USARugby.org) - The USA Rugby National Guard Under-23 and Senior Women's All-Star Championships wrapped up June 14 at Founders Field. In the Senior Women's Championship, the two-time defending champions from the Midwest proved no match for the powerful pack and swift footing of the Northeast. In a true team effort, the NRU side spread the ball around to go up 19-0 before the break and continued to grow its lead in the second half.

After switching sides, the Northeast would score three more unanswered tries before the end. Christina Hobson and Kelly McMahon contributed one a piece before speedster Jenna Flateman broke free and blazed down the side for her team's last try to bring the final tally to 34-0 - NRU's return to the top for the first time since 2005.

In recognition of an outstanding combined effort, the Northeast pack was recognized by Women's National Team Head Coach Kathy Flores as the MVP of the Senior Women's competition.

"I think we played really in our match against Pac on Friday, but we knew we had things to work on. In practice yesterday we spent an hour in the scrum machine fine-tuning and the results certainly showed through on the field today - both Christina Hobson and Phaidra Knight gave standout performances," said Northeast Head Coach Drew Fautley. "Although our forwards received the MVP award, I definitely don't want to take anything away from the backs. This was 100 percent a team effort."

The remainder of the Senior Women's division was also marked by other shutout victories, including the third place meeting between the Pacific Coast and SoCal, which saw the Pac Coast get out to 22-0 lead by the end of the first half, before sealing the deal in a 32-0 final. Following the loss, SoCal will be relegated to Tier B.

The MARFU Senior side overpowered its developmental counterpart in the 5th/6th place match, with a 31-0 final tally. Vanesha McGee led the way for the Sharks with a pair of tries, while fullback Elizabeth Black converted three of the six tries in the win, which earned MARFU I a promotion to Tier A for next year's all-stars.

In the Tier B consolation match, the lower seeded West team defeated the No. 5 seed South team 13-0. The Mustang's Deanna McGillivray started things off for the West with a drop goal, while Bethany Zick and Megan Knight added a try each.

U23 Results

Mid-Atlantic (MARFU) defended its 2007 Under-23 title and the Northeast snapped the Midwest's Senior division winning streak as the USA Rugby National Guard Under-23 and Senior Women's All-Star Championships wrapped up today at Founders Field.

In the Under-23 Women's championship match, the reigning champion MARFU team took control of its meeting with the Midwest early on, scoring three unanswered tries in the first half to go up 19-0 before the break. After switching sides, the Midwest still struggled to finish offensively and by the final blow MARFU had surged ahead to a final score of 29-0.

"We feel good about defending our title. We changed our plan from our Pac (Pacific Coast) game," Mid-Atlantic Head Coach Lisa Rosen said. "We knew that Midwest would have a steep backline so we switched up our defense and played an aggressive game."

Kate Daley, who led the scoring charge for the MARFU Sharks with three tries in the final match, was named the National Guard Under-23 All-Star Championships MVP by Women's National Team selectors.

Meanwhile, Pacific Coast steamrolled past the Southern California U-23 team in the third place match, easily shutting out the Griffins with a final score of 56-0. Pac Coast fullback Kristen Demaria proved troublesome for SoCal, scoring - 21 points in her team's big win. Following the loss, SoCal now moves down to Tier B for next year's competition.

The Northeast Under-23s easily put down the West in the battle for fifth place to earn a promotion to Tier A for next year's competition. Although the West was first to get on the board with an early penalty kick from Erin Wood, the NRU took over from there, scoring seven tries for a final score of 41-3. Tess Kohanski led the way for the Northeast with five tries.

In the contest for seventh place, the South Under-23s dealt the TU developmental squad a convincing 63-7 victory. The developmental team scored its only points late in the first half off a try by Monique McQueen and conversion from Christie Taylor, while the South was propelled by fullback Suzanne Uchneat, who had 31 points in her team's victory.

Day 1 Results

Under-23 Women
Northeast 43, South 0
West 80, TU Developmental 0
MARFU 15, Pacific Coast 10
Midwest 25, So Cal 7

Day 2 Results

Under-23 Women
7/8th place - South 63, TU Developmental 7
5/6th place - Northeast 41, West 3
3/4th place - Pacific Coast 56, Southern California 0
Championship - MARFU 29, Midwest 0

6.10.08 - The very best in women's rugby athletes in the US will be competing this weekend in Pittsburgh for their respective territories at the Women's National All-Star Championships. The tournament will have the all the territories and their U23 squads represented. Tournament hosts are the Pittsburgh Harlequins and all matches will be played at Founders Field. Competition starts Friday at 10am.

Match Schedule

Friday June 13:
10:00 - U23 - South v NRU
10:30 - Senior - West v MARFU
12:00 - U23- West v TBD
12:30 - Senior - South v MARFU Dev
2:00 - U23 - MARFU v Pacific
2:30 - Senior - MW v So Cal
4:00 - U23 - MW v So Cal
4:30 - Senior - Pacific v NRU

Sunday June 15:
8:30 - U23 - 7/8th place
9:00 - Senior - 7/8th place
10:00 - U23 - 5/6th place
10:30 - Senior - 5/6th place
11:30 - U23 - Championship
12:00 - U23 - 3/4th
1:00 - Senior - Championship
1:30 - Senior - 3/4th place

2008 Senior Women All Star 15s Seedings

1. Midwest
2. Pacific
3. Northeast
4. Southern Cal
5. South
6. Mid-Atlantic
7. West
8. Mid-Atlantic Dev

2008 U23 Women All Star 15s Seedings

1. U23 Mid-Atlantic (MARFU)
2. U23 Southern California
3. U23 Midwest
4. U23 Pacific
5. U23 West
6. U23 Northeast
7. U23 South
8. U19 Squad

2008 All-Star Rosters

1. Midwest Thunderbirds
Ansel, Tonya
Berg, Elizabeth
Brown, Anna
Day, Shauna
Domenosky, Sabrina
Douglas, Farrah
Fidelman, Gabrielle
Gill, Laura
Hertel, Katy
Kuehl, Sarah
Lear, Kristy
Leary, Sara
Lui, Jenny
Markovich, Desiree
McGowen, Erin
Menke, Jenny
Potter, Jillion
Radtke, Rebecca
Ringgenberg, Christy
Rye, Maria
Stolba, Hannah
Stritch, Kendra
Sullivan, Jaimie
Triemstra, Jennifer
Walsh, Sarah
Weber, Katherine
Wulff, Tonnie
Zummak, Blaire
Martha Daines - Coach

2. Pacific Coast Grizzlies
Acosta, Adrienne (ORSU)
Bruce, Steph (Berkeley All-Blues)
Bryson, Ruth (Berkeley All-Blues)
Burke, Jamie (Berkeley All-Blues)
Butts, Lisa (Berkeley All-Blues)
Cho, Hannah (Berkeley All-Blues)
English, Ashley (Berkeley All-Blues)
Folayan, Victoria (Berkeley All-Blues)
Fujiwara, Toni (ORSU)
Green, Siu (Sacramento Amazons)
Groefsema, Blair (Berkeley All-Blues)
Gust, Krista (ORSU)
Hemstreet, Allyson (Berkeley All-Blues)
Jennings, Heather (Seattle Women)
Kmiecik, Ashley (Emerald City Mudhens)
Madell, Bridget (ORSU)
Marchino, Nathalie (Berkeley All-Blues)
Marshall, Ramey (ORSU)
Moreno, San Juanita (ORSU)
Rogers, Tamara (Emerald City Mudhens)
Royce, Becket (ORSU)
Terry, Liz (Berkeley All-Blues)
Verdeyen, Meagan (Berkeley All-Blues)
Wallace, Mari (Berkeley All-Blues)
Whitmore, Rose (Berkeley All-Blues)
Alex Williams - Head Coach
Jen Crawford - Asst. Coach
Chris Gray - Manager

3. Northeast Women
Aerts, Hedwig (New York)
Astphan, Renee (Providence)
Baja, Kristin (New York)
Bernstein, Ida (Keystone)
Blaney, Sharon (Beantown)
Bonomo, Kristin (Beantown)
Brafman, Rebecca (New York)
Collier, Annie (New York)
Daniels, Amy (Beantown)
Denham, Mel (Beantown)
Dowty, Katie (Beantown)
DuBray, Carrie (New York)
Flateman, Jenna (New York)
Hegener, Hillary (Beantown)
Hobson, Christina (Morris)
Hustwitt, Jen (Beantown)
Knight, Phaidra (New York)
Lloyd, Fontaine (New York)
Magrini, Kim (Keystone)
McMahon, Kelly (New York)
Rodriguez, Ines (Keystone)
Seary, Kelly (Beantown)
Vivolo, Laura (New York)
Wacht, Sharyn (Beantown)
Wagner, Kitt (Beantown)
Drew Fautley - Coach

4. Southern California Griffins
Blue, Marea
Cheung, Daralisa
Chmielak, Sarah
Corpus, Leanna
Dunn Andrea
Guthmann, Elise
Hartos, Kirstin
Haves, Tikvah
Henneberger, Kathryn
Henry, Elisabeth
McIntosh, Chelsea
McLaughlin, Kim
Merritt, Sara
Morris, Kathleen
Pisel, Calli
Saunders, Kanisha
Staid, Andrea
Triplett, Jenny
Tucker, Amber
Underhill, Allison
Vancellette, Erin
Volan, Alexis
Wang, Ann
White, Kelly
Wilson, Amanda
Glenn Rose - Coach

5. South Panthers
Aertz, Kirsten (Atlanta Harlequins)
Belkin, Nicole (Orlando Women)
Bowers, Teagrin (Tampa)
Causey, Taryn (Memphis)
Cerbin, Andrea (Dre) (Memphis)
Cokos, Brie (Miami Naples)
Coulson, Cheryl (Memphis)
Cox, Kat (Atlanta Harlequins)
Cunin, Tiffany (Orlando)
Diehl, Erin (Atlanta Harlequins)
Fields, Casey (Orlando Women)
Glynn, Carmel (UF)
Harrington, Carly (Atlanta Harlequins)
Iacobucci, Stephanie (Atlanta Harlequins)
Keppart, Amy (Atlanta Harlequins)
Lanigan, Sally (Orlando)
Lau, Sharon (Atlanta Harlequins)
Mannino-Dickson, Tasha (Atlanta Harlequins)
Nocero, Cara (Atlanta Harlequins)
Phillips, Crystal (Miami Naples)
Starr, Meghan (Nashville)
Thomen, Katie (Savannah)
Patty Jervey - Coach
Heather Hale - Coach
Raelyn Barlow - Manager

6. MARFU I
Aliberto, Kristin
Baker, Stacy
Bennett, Stacy
Black, Elizabeth
Campbell, Kristen
Costello, Brenna
Creager, Dana
Daley, Rosemary
Dean, Jen
Dilley, Elizab