The USA Women’s Eagles bounced back in a dramatic meeting at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria, turning the tables on South Africa with a hard-fought 26-19 victory.
After the Springbok Women opened the 2 Test tour last week in Johannesburg with ferocity, the Eagles review and training adjustments put into play in camp over the last week paid dividends.
The Eagles delivered a strong performance from the kick off holding a strong defensive line and eventually securing the first try from front row, Hope Rogers. South Africa responded with one of their own, but Rogers followed up with a second, which the Springboks again countered, though failing to convert, put the USA up 14-12 at the half.
The Eagles learnings from last week that coming out strong on the restart would prove a critical momentum swing, Telesi Uhatafe put in work to run in a 50 meter try and set the tone for the second half. With close encounters to the try line, USA held possession and thwarted Springbok attacks. With the Eagles on the attack, speed from Uhatafe again, was put on display with a chip and chase securing the Eagles 4th try putting the USA up 26-12.
With just 10 minutes left on the clock, the South Africans fell into a stride and powered across the line bringing them back into striking distance at 26-19 and inciting a strong surge putting the USA defensive line to the test for the final 10 minutes. Despite strong carries to the USA line, the Springbok Women were held off and the Eagles took the victory going 1 and 1 with the South African Women to complete their Tour.
Discipline and clinical execution from the USA Eagles to finish in attack, combined
Delivering a Player of the Match performance, Freda Tafuna and the USA Eagles match discipline and set-piece execution set the platform for the Eagles to withstand South Africa’s late surge and close out the 26-19 victory.
Finishing the tour with a win, Head Coach Jack Hanratty commented;
“We came here to get a couple Test match victories. Unfortunately, we didn't get that, but what we did get was an incredible response during the week and a lot of honesty and incredible hard work.”
“I’m really, really proud to get another three new caps on this tour, which overall takes this year to 9 new caps, which is brilliant especially on this platform in South Africa.”
“We need to get a lot better if we want to compete on a global scale, but we know that. This is a wider group of not just the 30 on the ground, It's a group of U20s that arrive here in South Africa tomorrow, it’s a group of Falcons that will go away to Brazil in a number of weeks, all working to strengthen the USA Eagles platform."
“We're really excited with the challenge, but we know we've got a lot of work to do. I was so delighted to hear that test match win song in the locker room and hope the players get to enjoy it after another three weeks of hard work.”
The USA Eagles Under 20’s will arrive in South Africa tomorrow, for a 2 -Test tour against the Springbok Women U20’s kicking off next week, while the Falcons will head to Brazil to play two matches in August.
| Position | Name | Caps |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hope Rogers | 63 |
| 2 | Kathryn Treder | 39 |
| 3 | Elizabeth Cook | 2 |
| 4 | Emerson Allen | 4 |
| 5 | Hallie Taufoou | 35 |
| 6 | Hann Humphreys | 5 |
| 7 | Georgie Perris-Redding (C) | 23 |
| 8 | Freda Tafuna | 22 |
| 9 | Olivia Ortiz | 32 |
| 10 | Kristin Bitter | 12 |
| 11 | Telesi Uhatafe | 5 |
| 12 | Bella Vogel | 5 |
| 13 | Tessa Hann | 7 |
| 14 | Bulou Mataitoga | 33 |
| 15 | Ashley Cowdrey | 2 |
| 16 | Chloe Hill-Huse* | 1 |
| 17 | Alivia Leatherman | 15 |
| 18 | Reece Woods | 5 |
| 19 | Rachel Ehrecke | 28 |
| 20 | Kapoina Bailey | 6 |
| 21 | Taina Tukuafu | 15 |
| 22 | Katana Howard | 27 |
| 23 | Alev Kelter | 37 |
Sat, July 4: USA vs. South Africa (L) 43-21
Ellis Park, Johannesburg
Sat, July 11: USA vs. South Africa (W) 26-19
Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria
Jack Hanratty | Head Coach
Sarah Chobot | Assistant Coach
Lou Meadows | Assistant Coach
Jon Humphreys | Assistant Coach
Michael Deasy | Head of Athletic Performance
Sam Malette | Lead Athletic Trainer
Mia Pelton | Athletic Trainer
Abigail Hamilton | Team Physician
Hannah Reid | Team Manager
Rudy Betancourt | Videographer
USA Women’s Eagles WXV Schedule
USA vs Italy - 5:00pm
Saturday October 17th - Texas Health Mansfield Stadium, Mansfield, TX
USA vs Italy - 3:15pm
Saturday October 24th - GEODIS Park, Nashville, TN
USA vs England - 5:15pm
Friday October 30th - Sports Illustrated Stadium, Newark, NJ
