The USA Women’s Sevens National Team finished the Edmonton Fast Four in second-place. Losing only to Great Britain — once in group play and next in the Cup Final — the USA showed significant improvement as the young group’s playing DNA took shape amidst breakout individual performances.
Director of Women’s High Performance Emilie Bydwell said:
“Despite falling short on our mission to beat GB, this group showed tremendous growth throughout the tour.
“Ultimately, this tournament is the first step in our Rugby World Cup campaign and the players laid a foundation made of grit, authenticity, connection and belief.
“We saw glimpses of what we’re capable of on attack and the women were absolute warriors on defense. We look forward to welcoming the rest of our residency squad back following PR Sevens as we hit the pavement in preparation for Dubai.”
Edmonton Recap
The USA went 1-1-1 on the first day of action, drawing in a stiff battle against rivals-Canada where two yellow cards allowed the Canadians to edge an otherwise narrow gap. Mexico was well in-hand from start to finish, making Great Britain the biggest challenge across both days.
In group play, the USA and GB were drawn at halftime but it was sense of urgency in resetting defensively that allowed the opposition to exploit gaps. Then, following a strong win over Canada in the semifinal, Great Britain were all too prepared for the U.S. attack as the young side struggled to adapt and control the game.
Salote Tausinga and Jaz Gray were clear standouts across the weekend. Tausinga scored a mesmerizing try against Mexico where she burst through tackles with powerful energy to stun audiences.
Gray showed a unique acceleration that forced defenders to do a double take as she rinsed every ounce of energy to make it to the try zone four times.
Edmonton Fast Four Scores
vs Canada | 26-26 (D)
Tries: Summer Jones (3), Stephanie Rovetti
Cons: Kayla Canett (3)
vs Mexico | 37-0 (W)
Tries: Spiff Sedrick, Salote Tausinga (2), Sarah Levy, Emily Fullbrook, Stephanie Rovetti
Cons: Alena Olsen
vs Great Britain | 19-29 (L)
Tries: Stephanie Rovetti, Nana Fa’avesi, Salote Tausinga
Cons: Kayla Canett, Alena Olsen
vs Canada | 22-12 (W)
Tries: Stephanie Rovetti, Jaz Gray (3)
Cons: Kayla Canett
vs Great Britain | 22-5 (L)
Tries: Jaz Gray
Edmonton Fast Four Roster
| PLAYER NAME | POSITION | WORLD SERIES EVENTS |
| 1. Sui A'au | Prop / Center | Uncapped |
| 2. Lauren Thunen | Prop | 1 |
| 3. Salote Tausinga | Prop / Center | Uncapped |
| 4, Summer Harris Jones | Prop / Hooker | Uncapped |
| 5. Alena Olsen | Scrumhalf/Fly Half | 3 |
| 6. Sarah Levy | Center | Uncapped |
| 7. Stephanie Rovetti | Flyhalf/Wing | 6 |
| 8. Jazmine Gray | Wing | Uncapped |
| 9. Nana Fa'avesi (C) | Hooker/Scrumhalf | 18 |
| 10. Kayla Canett | Halfback/Flyhalf | 10 |
| 11. Rachel Strasdas | Hooker | Uncapped |
| 12. Spiff Sedrick | Halfback/Flyhalf | Uncapped |
| 13. Emily Fulbrook | Prop / Hooker | Uncapped |
USA Women’s Sevens Traveling Staff
Director of Women’s High Performance | Emilie Bydwell
Strength & Conditioning | Joshua Schnell
Athletic Trainer | Hilary Stepansky
USA Women’s Sevens Traveling Staff
Next Tournament
The HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series will resume for two back-to-back tournaments in Dubai on November 26-27 and December 3-4. A full schedule for the season will be announced by World Rugby in the coming months.
