LAST TOURNAMENT | FIFTH IN HAMILTON
The USA Women’s Sevens played against a new and challenging format in Hamilton where only four teams could make the Semifinals. Following an unfortunate loss to Australia in the Pool B finale, the U.S. entered the Fifth Place Final where they defeated England to claim 12 series points.
After a bumpy opening half with Russia, the Eagles Sevens managed to stay afloat in an action-packed second half with back-and-forth scoring. Winning 19-12, the U.S. went on to dominate Brazil 34-7 in a mesmerizing display of cohesion to improve 2-0 in group play.
In a decisive Pool B finale against Australia, the United States committed a number of devastating handling errors which gave the Aussie’s all the opportunity to score points. Losing to a narrow 14-19, the USA finished second in their group and conceded the final Semifinal spot to France on points differential.
Things clicked immeasurably in the Fifth Place Final where the USA Women’s Sevens posted 45 points against their British counterparts who only scored once.
Now ranked fourth overall with 60 series points, the USA are two points behind third place (Canada) and 16 points behind first place (New Zealand) with four stops remaining.
THE SQUAD
Head Coach Chris Brown has made two rotations to the playing group for Sydney.
Cheta Emba and Nana Fa’avesi will jump into the primary 12-player lineup while Jordan Matyas and Naya Tapper become injury reserves.
Last weekend saw some brilliant play by Stephanie Rovetti and Kayla Canett. Against Brazil, Rovetti scored two back-to-back tries and then set up Ilona Maher for another. Then, in a tremendous finale against England, Canett set up two tries with brilliant offloads and then scored one of her own — all in consecutive order.
Powerful runners in Eti Haungatau and Co-Captain Kris Thomas were also impact makers throughout the two days.
The group for Sydney own 218 cumulative HSBC tournaments with 184 in the 12-player lineup.
| PLAYER NAME | POSITION | HSBC TOURNAMENTS TO DATE |
| 1. Stephanie Rovetti | Flyhalf/Wing | 5 |
| 2. Ilona Maher | Center/Prop | 11 |
| 3. Abby Gustaitis (Co-Captain) | Prop/Hooker | 11 |
| 4. Nicole Heavirland | Hooker / Scrumhalf | 23 |
| 5. Alev Kelter | Center/Prop | 33 |
| 6. Lauren Doyle | Flyhalf/Wing | 29 |
| 7. Cheta Emba | Prop/Wing | 15 |
| 8. Nana Fa’avesi | Prop | 12 |
| 9. Eti Haungatau | Prop | 3 |
| 10. Kayla Canett | Scrumhalf/Flyhalf | 9 |
| 11. Kris Thomas (Co-Captain) | Hooker/Center | 25 |
| 12. Kristi Kirshe | Center/Wing | 8 |
| 13. Jordan Matyas | Prop | 13 |
| Naya Tapper | Wing/Prop (injury reserve) | 21 |
STAFF
Head Coach | Chris Brown
Strength & Conditioning | Matt Long
Performance Analyst | JD Stephenson
Athletic Trainer | Nicole Titmas
Team Manager | Liz Strohecker
Dietician | Jacque Scaramella
THE COMPETITION
The USA women will open against Fiji on Friday, Jan 31 at 5:30 PM ET in the same adjusted format held in Hamilton:
- No Cup Quarterfinals will be held. The top teams in each of the three pools and highest-ranked team after them will automatically qualify for the Cup Semifinals.
- The two highest ranked teams remaining will face one another in the 5th Place Final while the two highest ranked teams after them will play in the 7th Place Final. This sequence continues for the 9th place and 11th place rounds, respectively.
Fiji are currently ranked eighth overall after finishing sixth in Hamilton. Their highest finish this season was sixth in Cape Town. Brazil will be next and are currently in eleventh place. Group play will conclude against rival-Canada who are two points ahead in the standings at third. Canada last defeated the U.S. in Cape Town and have medaled in the last three tournaments.
SYDNEY SCHEDULE
vs Fiji | Fri, Jan 31 - 5:30 PM ET
vs Brazil | Fri, Jan 31 - 11:08 PM ET
vs Canada | Sat, Feb 1 - 5:07 PM ET
Knockout rounds begin at 10:08 PM ET on Sat, Feb 1
WHERE TO WATCH / FOLLOW
All matches are broadcast LIVE and On Demand through NBC Sports Gold’s rugby pass. To purchase rugby pass, click here.
Score updates are available by following @USARugby on Twitter, Instagram Story and Facebook Story. Match recaps are posted within 90 minutes of full time on www.usa.rugby, as well as Facebook and Twitter.
HEAR IT FROM HEAD COACH CHRIS BROWN
“We’re really excited for this weekend. As a group, we put a line in the sand last weekend in our final match against England, as we proved that if we remain on task and play within the team plan, we can get the results we want.
“Every stop presents an awesome opportunity to go out there and play with freedom and enjoyment. If we can do that in Sydney as we did in that final match in Hamilton, we’ll win more and more of the little moments along the way.”
TO SUM IT UP
Now halfway through, the 2020 season has proven to be as competitive as ever with format adjustments adding a new spin to every event. As challenges remain dynamic, the pressure is on for all teams to perform at the highest level in every game.
The USA still have enough time to climb in the rankings and match their highest ever position of No. 2, obtained last season. With Australia currently in that slot and only four points ahead, dramatic shifts could be seen at the end of the weekend.
TOP 5 PLACINGS
(Following HSBC Hamilton sevens)
| Category | Position |
| Series standing | 4th (60 pts) |
| Most points as a team | 4th (514 pts) |
| Most tries as a team | 4th (82 tries) |
| Most restarts as a team | 5th (85 restarts) |
| Most points by a player | Alev Kelter, 1st (153 pts) |
| Most tries by a player | Alev Kelter, 3rd (19 tries) |
| Most restarts by a player | Alev Kelter, 5th (56 restarts) |
| Most clean breaks by a player | Alev Kelter, 2nd (20 clean breaks) |
| Most runs by a player | Alev Kelter, 1st (87 runs) |
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