TUTUKAKA, NZL (October 6, 2022) – The USA Women’s Eagles saw a hot start fall short last weekend as they lost to Italy in the opening round match of Pool C.
With their sights now set on a match up with Japan, the squad will look to bounce back and keep within quarterfinal contention. Despite a first-round loss, the USA are still very much in striking distance of advancing to the knockout stages, where a convincing win on Saturday will be the next step in that direction. USA vs Japan kicks off Saturday October 15 at 12:30AM ET (Friday night for the remaining USA time zones), streaming LIVE on Peacock and a delayed broadcast on CNBC at 10:00AM ET, Saturday October 15.
Following the Italy match, Head Coach Rob Cain and Captain Kate Zackary were in tune on what improvements need to be made for this second match, that being consistency on the lineout and finishing out drives as the attack moves into the opponent’s 22-meter line. The USA did well to create opportunities, both with speed on the wing and up the middle through contact, however this Saturday they’ll look to push through and earn points on these chances.
Captain Kate Zackary on capitalizing, “It is about creating momentum, finding momentum and keeping it. A few times we got it right, a few times we got it wrong, but the biggest thing is you have to learn from those mistakes and grow .. is most important."
Historically, the USA and Japan have only paired up once, a 121-0 Eagles win during the 1994 Rugby World Cup, so this fixture brings a lot of excitement for both unions as each are rising nations on the World Rugby stage. Japan fell to Canada in the opening round and will similarly be hungry for a bounce-back result.
Cain has made a few adjustments to the starting squad and reserves, both from a tactical and injury perspective. Meya Bizer starts at fullback as one of seven changes to the starting fifteen from last weekend’s match. Tess Feury, Kristine Sommer, Charli Jacoby, Olivia Ortiz, Kathryn Johnson and Evelyn Ashenbrucker will get their first starting nod of the tournament. Kelter and Eti Haungatau paired in the middle whilst Johnson and Ashenbrucker will in turn make their Rugby World Cup debuts. Off the bench, Elizabeth Cairns, Kathryn Treder and Megan Foster will also have an opportunity for their own debuts on the Rugby World Cup stage. Off the bench, veteran Catie Benson will have the opportunity to earn her 30th cap, an achievement only surpassed by 10 USA Women’s Eagles to date.
Japan has the ability to play a physical game and showed that last week, as it was something Head Coach Lesley McKenzie noted as a positive from the loss. The USA will equalize on that front, last week they showed to have a powerful scrum that resulted in a few turnovers against a bigger Italy side. Despite allowing 41 points, Japan also held that physicality at the goal line, an area where the USA have shined as both of last week’s tries came from short distance dives out of the breakdown. Prop Hope Rogers is also a specialist in the red zone as we’ve seen many times in the past. We should expect to see some hard-charging fireworks within the 5-meter line this coming Saturday.
“Week two of the Rugby World Cup and the six teams that didn't get the results we have all worked so hard for are all in the same situation, looking to learn, build and get the result this weekend. Japan being one of those we know will come out with real intent. We are not underestimating Japan in any way. Japan have shown just how threatening they can be in transition, around the breakdown and with their speed of play in attack.
“The past few days of preparation have gone well, there was of course lots of disappointment post our first game, but with such a quick turnaround it was critical we took what we needed out of our review and build again. We have looked at the areas that were not always accurate and the areas we had successes against Italy this week. We are excited for this squad who will represent the group here and the many at home cheering us all on. Thank you for all your messages of support.”
| NAME | HOMETOWN | CLUB | CAPS |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Hope Rogers | Chambersburg, PA | Exeter Chiefs | 38 |
| 2. Joanna Kitlinski | Denver, CO | Sale Sharks | 20 |
| 3. Charli Jacoby | Chicago, IL | Exeter Chiefs | 15 |
| 4. Kristine Sommer | Seattle, WA | Seattle Rugby Club | 22 |
| 5. Evelyn Ashenbrucker | Southern Humboldt County, CA | San Diego Surfers | 4 |
| 6. Kathryn Johnson | Minneapolis, MN | Twin Cities Amazons | 4 |
| 7. Rachel Johnson | Portland, OR | Exeter Chiefs | 15 |
| 8. Kate Zackary (C) | Wichita, KS | Exeter Chiefs | 24 |
| 9. Olivia Ortiz | Grand Haven, MI | Colorado Gray Wolves | 12 |
| 10. Gabby Cantorna | State College, PA | Exeter Chiefs | 15 |
| 11. Tess Feury | Denville, NJ | Wasps | 12 |
| 12. Alev Kelter | Eagle River, AK | Saracens | 20 |
| 13. Eti Haungatau | Sacramento, CA | Lindenwood University | 5 |
| 14. Jennine Detiveaux | Jonesborough, TN | Exeter Chiefs | 12 |
| 15. Meya Bizer | Woodlands, TX | Beantown RFC | 23 |
| 16. Kathryn Treder | Anchorage, AK | Beantown RFC | 6 |
| 17. Catie Benson | Buffalo, NY | Sale Sharks | 29 |
| 18. Nick James | Dublin, TX | Sale Sharks | 22 |
| 19. Jenny Kronish | New York, NY | Harlequins (ENG) | 5 |
| 20. Elizabeth Cairns | Downingtown, PA | Life West Gladiatrix | 19 |
| 21. Carly Waters | Downingtown, PA | Sale Sharks | 13 |
| 22. Megan Foster | Davis, CA | Exeter Chiefs | 11 |
| 23. Lotte Clapp | Welwyn Garden, ENG | Saracens | 5 |
Head Coach | Rob Cain
Assistant Coach | Jamie Burke
Assistant Coach | Martin Haag
Assistant Coach | Kate Daley
Head Strength & Conditioning | Sylvia Braaten
Head Athletic Trainer | Hilary Stepansky
Assistant Athletic Trainer | Janie Kluempers
Team Doctor | Dr Leigh Romero
Team Masseuse | Cheniek Den Heyer
Lead Analyst | Callum Howells
Team Media Manager | Taylor Dean
Mental Performance | Tracy Carrington
Team Manager | Annemarie Farrell
Team Manager | Steve Downie
Remote Support | Jenny Lui & Rich Ashfield
Northland Events Center, Whangarei, NZL
Watch live replay on Peacock
Saturday, Oct 15 12:30 AM ET (Friday, Oct 14 for all other US time zones)
Watch LIVE on Peacock with a delayed airing on CNBC (Sat, Oct 15, 10:00 AM ET)
Northland Events Center, Whangarei, NZL
Saturday, Oct 22 10:15 PM ET
Watch LIVE on Peacock with a delayed airing on CNBC (Sun, Oct 23, 11:30 AM ET)
Waitakere Stadium, Auckland, NZL
