The USA Women's Eagles showed fierce determination against Australia's Wallaroos at GIO Stadium in Canberra today in their second match of the Pacific Four Series.
Despite a huge shift put in by prop, Hope Rogers delivering a hat-trick of tries, the USA ultimately fell to the home side with a final score of 27-19.
Reflecting on the team’s performance, Head Coach Sione Fukofuka commented;
"We will take a lot out of today, both in our performance and on what we can do better. We planned pretty heavily for this game and unfortunately, didn't execute where the moments counted. We weren't able to convert possession into opportunities to score, so that's now our work on.
"We're 100 days away (from the Rugby World Cup) and still have a few more test matches to come, so we will focus on playing to our strengths. Our forwards pack is quite physical, dynamic, and has a huge variety of skill, which allows them to play to Hope, to play to Rachel, to play to Kate, which is positive. We were hoping to turn that set piece battle into more of an arm wrestle, which started pretty positive, but we just weren't able to finish the job.”
It was a heated contest from the opening whistle with the Eagles taking control of proceedings early and Hope Rogers setting the tone scoring the first try of the night. The Wallaroos, however, shifted the momentum, and crossed for two tries lighting the pressure under the USA.
A break from Hallie Taufoou injected pace into the Eagles' attack, putting them into open space. From the ensuing ruck, Hope Rogers picked the ball and stretched over the line for her second try of the night. McKenzie Hawkins added the conversion, bringing the Eagles back within five points.
As halftime approached, Australia secured a scrum in front of the posts, threatening to extend their lead. However, a pop pass to Tess Feury provided the Eagles with crucial forward momentum, forcing the Wallaroos onto the back foot. The halftime whistle blew with the USA trailing by a narrow 17-12 margin.
The second half commenced with an early penalty against the USA, allowing Australia to kick for an attacking lineout close to the Eagles' try line. Resolute defense from the American pack initially held the Wallaroos, but the sustained pressure eventually folded, and the home side managed to breach the USA line to score.
The Eagles looked to respond and a powerful carry from Bulou Mataitoga offloaded to Kate Zackary, who then found Alev Kelter. Kelter's strong run gained valuable yards, resetting the attacking platform for the USA. An Eagles lineout inside the Australian 22 landed with a driving maul, creating momentum for Hope Rogers to power over for her third try, completing her hat-trick.
Australia responded with a driving maul of their own, but the USA defense stood firm, winning the subsequent Australian lineout and moving the ball back into Australian territory. However, a high penalty count against the USA proved costly, as the Wallaroos opted to kick for points from 40 meters out, extending their lead by 8. Despite their best efforts in the remaining minutes, the Eagles were unable to close the gap.
Captain Kate Zackary commented on Hope’s performance;
“Hope's limitless, she's a fantastic player, a magician with the ball in hand. She works just as hard in set piece as in defense. Those are areas that were more of a weakness for her years ago, but what you're seeing now, is a whole new player. She rumbles harder than anyone on the pitch, and she leads by example. There's a reason she's the most capped Eagle and I aspire to battle like her. She inspires her teammates and hopefully the next generation as well.”
The USA Eagles will now travel to New Zealand where they will begin preparations to take on the Black Ferns next Saturday in Auckland.
| NAME | CLUB | INTL. CAPS |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Hope Rogers | Exeter Chiefs | 53 |
| 2. Kathryn Treder | Loughborough Lightning / Bay Area Breakers | 28 |
| 3. Keia Mae Sagapolu | ACT Brumbies | 17 |
| 4. Hallie Taufoou | Loughborough Lightning / Denver Onyx | 25 |
| 5. Erica Jarrell | Sale Sharks | 17 |
| 6. Tahlia Brody | Leicester Tigers / Denver Onyx | 18 |
| 7. Kate Zackary | Ealing Trailfinders | 43 |
| 8. Rachel Johnson | Exeter Chiefs / Denver Onyx | 35 |
| 9. Olivia Ortiz | Sale Sharks | 24 |
| 10. McKenzie Hawkins | Denver Onyx | 23 |
| 11. Bulou Mataitoga | Loughborough Lightning / Bay Area Breakers | 24 |
| 12. Alev Kelter | Loughborough Lightning / Bay Area Breakers | 29 |
| 13. Ilona Maher | USA Sevens / Bristol Bears | 4 |
| 14. Emily Henrich | Leicester Tigers / Boston Banshees | 23 |
| 15. Tess Feury | New York Exiles | 33 |
| 16. Paige Stathopoulos | Ealing Trailfinders / Boston Banshees | 16 |
| 17. Maya Learned | Denver Onyx | 18 |
| 18. Charli Jacoby | Exeter Chiefs / Queensland Reds | 35 |
| 19. Rachel Ehrecke | Denver Onyx | 21 |
| 20. Freda Tafuna | Lindenwood Lions | 12 |
| 21. Cass Bargell | Boston Banshees | 6 |
| 22. Sariah Ibarra | USA Sevens | 3 |
| 23. Cheta Emba | Boston Banshees | 14 |
Head Coach | Sione Fukofuka
Assistant Coach | Mel Bosman
Assistant Coach | Sarah Chobot
Head of Athletic Performance | Charles Dudley
Lead Analyst | Caitlin Singletary
Performance Psychologist | Scott Goldman
Lead Physiotherapist | Emily Lauer
Physiotherapists | Alice Grellman
Team Doctors | Marvin Valencia
Team Manager | Alana Gattinger
High Performance Director | Tamara Sheppard
Media Manager | Jenni Burke
USA v Japan | 33-39 (L)
Wallis Annenberg Stadium, Los Angeles, CA
USA v Canada | 26-14 (L)
CPKC Stadium, Kansas City, MO
USA v Australia | 19-27 (L)
GIO Stadium, Canberra, Australia
USA v New Zealand | Pacific Four Series
Fri, May 23, 2025 | 11:35pm ET
North Harbour Stadium, Auckland, New Zealand
