The Women’s Eagles open their 2024 calendar season with a neutral-venue clash against South Africa in London on Saturday. It’s the USA’s first test since the conclusion of the WXV in the fall, and the first with Sione Fukofuka as Head Coach. The USA enter the match ranked 9th in the world, three spots above the 12th-ranked Springbok Women.
| NOTES |
- this is the first test match between the two nations since 2013… all previous meetings have come during the former Nations Cup competition… all five of those games were hosted in North America
- USA captain Kate Zackary returns to her preferred back row position after several matches playing in the midfield… she regularly plays No8 for club side Ealing
- the majority of the Eagles squad is based in England… of the starters only Jenny Kronish, McKenzie Hawkins, and Emily Henrich are not currently attached to a Premiership club… Kronish previously played for Harlequins
- two reserves, scrumhalf Cassidy Bargell and outside back Amanda Berta, are set to make their test debuts for the USA… Bargell played collegiate rugby for Harvard, and Berta for Penn State
- South Africa captain Nolusindiso Booi extends her national test cap record in what will be her 42nd test appearance for her country
- Springbok winger Asiphe Mayaba returns from long-term injury to win her third cap… reserve back row Nomsa Mokwai is back in the squad after missing the Spain test to attend her mother’s funeral
| QUOTES |
SIONE FUKOFUKA (Head Coach)
- “The opportunity to work with an extended squad here in the UK has been invaluable preparation for us. Having the experience of the players in the PWR and Super W, working alongside our younger players and players playing in the WPL and PR7s, has allowed us to prepare well and lay the foundations for a very positive lead in.”
- “Connection of the playing group off field, alignment of the squad on field and clear focus on performance have been the focuses of the past week. We’re making sure we connect our set piece and attack, aligning our defensive principles to give the players confidence, and putting each other under pressure to perform has been a theme.”
- “The players that have earned selection represent the competition within the squad. The strength of the team is reflected by the players that have missed selection. I have been proud of the manner in which the players have competed for the jersey and pushed each other, but also at their openness to sharing their experience and knowledge to support their teammates to benefit the team. We want to make sure our performance is a reflection of the work we have put in and represents the style that we want to be known for; physical, dynamic, and confident to play with the ball.”
NOLUSINDISO BOOI (Captain)
- “We have been building nicely during the tour. We had a couple of objectives coming on tour and improving on the field of play was a big one. That included adapting to the intensity and pace the top ten teams in the world play with, something we got a taste of in the sessions against Scotland and Wales.
- “Now we will encounter USA and if we applied the learnings on tour so far, I believe we are well prepared to deliver a very good performance. We are close to the end of the tour and after three weeks going home will be welcomed by all, but before that, we have one more job to do. One of our other objectives was to win both tests, so the job is not done for us.”
| PREDICTION |
South Africa should be a cohesive side having trained together for three weeks, with a test win over Spain following scrimmages with Scotland and Wales. While this is the first run-out of the season for the USA, most of the lineup have played together many times before. The USA are the higher-ranked side and with a roster full of professional talent should be considered favorites.
| LINEUPS |
USA
1 Hope Rogers, 2 Kathryn Treder, 3 Mae Sagapolu, 4 Erica Jarrell, 5 Jenny Kronish, 6 Kate Zackary (capt.), 7 Georgie Perris-Redding, 8 Rachel Johnson, 9 Olivia Ortiz, 10 McKenzie Hawkins, 11 Lotte Clapp, 12 Gabby Cantorna, 13 Bulou Mataitoga, 14 Emily Henrich, 15 Tess Feury
Replacements: 16 Paige Stathopoulos, 17 Catie Benson, 18 Charli Jacoby, 19 Rachel Ehrecke, 20 Tahlia Brody, 21 Cassidy Bargell, 22 Katana Howard, 23 Amanda Berta
SOUTH AFRICA
1 Xoliswa Khuzwayo, 2 Lindelwa Gwala, 3 Babalwa Latsha, 4 Nolusindiso Booi (capt.), 5 Vainah Ubisi, 6 Sinelitha Noxeke, 7 Sinazo Mcatshulwa, 8 Aseza Hele, 9 Tayla Kinsey, 10 Mary Zulu, 11 Jakkie Cilliers, 12 Piwokuhle Nyanda, 13 Veroeskha Grain, 14 Asiphe Mayaba, 15 Byrhandre Dolf
Replacements: 16 Roseline Botes, 17 Sanelisiwe Charlie, 18 Aliyah Tchogna-Njamen, 19 Danelle Lochner, 20 Nomsa Mokwai, 21 Rumandi Potgieter, 22 Aphiwe Ngwevu, 23 Chuma Qawe
| MATCH DETAILS |
Date: Saturday, March 30
Venue: Trailfinders Sports Ground, London
Kickoff: 13:00 local (06:00 Pacific, 09:00 Eastern)
Weather Forecast: partly cloudy, 57°F (14°C), wind S 6-9mph (10-14 km/h)
Broadcasts: RugbyPass, YouTube
| MATCH OFFICIALS |
Referee: Holly Wood (England)
Assistants: Hamish Grant (England) & Simon Park (England)
TMO: n/a
| HISTORY |
HEAD-TO-HEAD: USA 4, South Africa 1, STREAK USA+3
2013-08-10 – USA 61, South Africa 5 (Infinity Park)
2013-07-30 – USA 32, South Africa 22 (University of Northern Colorado)
2011-08-13 – USA 29, South Africa 9 (Appleby College)
2011-08-09 – USA 23, South Africa 26 (Appleby College)
2009-08-16 – USA 39, South Africa 0 (Appleby College)
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