This article needs additional citations for verification .(July 2014) |
Nickname | Eagles | ||
---|---|---|---|
Union | USA Rugby | ||
Head coach | Sione Fukofuka [1] | ||
Captain | Rachel Johnson | ||
Most caps | Jamie Burke (51) | ||
| |||
World Rugby ranking | |||
Current | 9 (as of 28 October 2024) | ||
First international | |||
Canada 3–22 United States ( Victoria, British Columbia, Canada; 14 November 1987) | |||
Biggest win | |||
Japan 0–121 United States ( Melrose, Scotland; 15 April 1994) | |||
Biggest defeat | |||
England 89–0 United States ( Worcester, England; 21 November 2021) | |||
World Cup | |||
Appearances | 9 (First in 1991) | ||
Best result | Champions 1991 |
Rank | Change* | Team | Points |
---|---|---|---|
1 | England | 97.56 | |
2 | Canada | 89.31 | |
3 | New Zealand | 88.64 | |
4 | France | 85.11 | |
5 | Australia | 78.10 | |
6 | Ireland | 78.03 | |
7 | Scotland | 76.82 | |
8 | Italy | 74.75 | |
9 | United States | 74.20 | |
10 | Wales | 72.58 | |
11 | Japan | 66.41 | |
12 | South Africa | 66.18 | |
13 | Spain | 65.42 | |
14 | Russia | 61.10 | |
15 | Samoa | 60.56 | |
16 | Netherlands | 60.20 | |
17 | Fiji | 59.14 | |
18 | Hong Kong | 56.20 | |
19 | Kazakhstan | 55.23 | |
20 | Sweden | 52.72 | |
*Change from the previous week |
The USA Women's National Team XVs represents the United States in women's international rugby union. The team was officially formed in 1987 and is nicknamed the Eagles.
An international powerhouse during the 1990s— the Eagles won the inaugural 1991 Women's World Cup and finished second in the two following World Cups in 1994 and 1998. The team finished fourth at the 2017 Rugby World Cup in Ireland. [3]
In May 2018, Rob Cain was appointed full-time Head Coach. Cain joined the Eagles after winning the inaugural Tyrell Premier 15s title in England with Saracens Women.
(Source: US Women's Rugby Foundation)
The history of women's rugby in the United States can be traced back to three teams that existed in 1972 – the Colorado State University Hookers at Fort Collins; the University of Colorado, at Boulder; and the University of Illinois, at Champaign. During the mid-1970s women's teams began to spring up on college campuses across the United States. As those players graduated they went on to set up teams near cities and urban centers. At that time there was only one division for all women's rugby. In 1975, United States Rugby Football Union was formed and contained four territories. At this time the women had their own Board of Directors and followed in parallel USARFU with four territories (East, Midwest, West and Pacific). In 1978, the first Women's National Championships was held. The Chicago Women's Rugby Club in Chicago, Illinois hosted this event. The winner of that championship was Portland, Maine.[ citation needed ]
In 1985, the first semblance of a national team was formed. An ‘invitation-only’ team was put together and made up of, arguably, the top women playing the game at the time. The team was named WIVERN and toured throughout England and France. The team finished the tour undefeated. Many of these players went on to be selected for the 1991 World Cup Team.
In 1987 the USA women's national team was officially born with their first match against the Canadian women's national team. Although the women were not permitted to wear the Eagle logo, this match was sanctioned by Rugby Canada and USA Rugby. USA and Canada began holding an annual match, which became known as the CanAm series. For ten years the Women Eagles went undefeated in this test series.[ citation needed ]
In 1990, the women's national team, competing under the name “USA Presidents 15,” traveled to New Zealand to compete in the historic Women's World Rugby Festival. The WNT posted a record of 3–1 with their only loss coming at the hands of New Zealand. In 1991 the first Women's Rugby World Cup was held in Cardiff, Wales. Coached by Beantown's Kevin O’Brien, a Welshman himself, and Minnesota's Chris Leach, a South African the stage was set for the US women to bring home the Cup. Defeating New Zealand in semi-final play, the USA women advanced to the finals where they defeated England. Also in 1991 the first woman was elected to serve on the USARFU Board of Directors. Jamie Jordan was elected Treasurer for the Board.[ citation needed ]
In 1997, The U23 women's national team was formed. USA Women's National Team Head Coach Franck Boivert appointed Penn State Coach Peter Steinberg to be Head Coach for the U23 Women's National Team program. At an event in the CanAm Series the US Women's National Team celebrated their 10-year anniversary by cheering on the Women's U23 National Team in their first test against Canada.
The USA Women's National Team XVs finished fourth at Rugby World Cup 2017 in Ireland which earned them automatic qualification to the next World Cup in New Zealand in 2021. In early 2018, the program hired former Women's National Team player Emilie Bydwell to serve as its General Manager of Women's High Performance. [4] Soon after in May, Rob Cain was appointed full-time Head Coach and has since helped lead the program in a new direction.
The Women's National Team Program fields a number of age-grade and development programs including the High School All-Americans (U18), Under-20s, Collegiate All-Americans and USA Selects. All age-grade and development programs are umbrellaed under the national team program and serve as a feeder to the senior Women's Eagles.
See List of United States women's national rugby union team matches
Correct as of 11 October 2024
Opponent | First game | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Win % |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Australia | 1997 | 8 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 75% |
Canada | 1987 | 46 | 19 | 0 | 27 | 41.3% |
England | 1991 | 21 | 1 | 0 | 20 | 4.76% |
France | 1996 | 14 | 2 | 1 | 11 | 14.29% |
Ireland | 1994 | 9 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 55.56% |
Italy | 2012 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 50% |
Japan | 1994 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 75% |
Kazakhstan | 2010 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 100% |
Netherlands | 1990 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 100% |
New Zealand | 1990 | 16 | 1 | 0 | 14 | 6.25% |
Russia | 1998 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100% |
Samoa | 2023 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100% |
Scotland | 1998 | 7 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 71.43% |
South Africa | 2009 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 83.33% |
Soviet Union | 1990 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 100% |
Spain | 1998 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 100% |
Sweden | 1994 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100% |
Wales | 1993 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 100% |
Total | 1987 | 153 | 67 | 2 | 84 | 43.79% |
Rugby World Cup | ||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Year | Round | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | Squad | ||||
1991 | Champions | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 79 | 6 | Squad | ||||
1994 | Runners-up | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 387 | 53 | Squad | ||||
1998 | Runners-up | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 200 | 76 | Squad | ||||
2002 | 7th place | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 124 | 43 | Squad | ||||
2006 | 5th place | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 87 | 47 | Squad | ||||
2010 | 5th place | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 136 | 82 | Squad | ||||
2014 | 6th place | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 95 | 139 | Squad | ||||
2017 | 4th place | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 128 | 135 | Squad | ||||
2021 | Quarter-final | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 65 | 100 | Squad | ||||
2025 | Qualified | |||||||||||
2029 | TBD | |||||||||||
2033 | Automatically Qualified as Hosts | |||||||||||
Total | Champions | 42 | 26 | 0 | 16 | 1301 | 681 | Squad | ||||
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On September 14, Head Coach, Sione Fukofuka, announced the Eagles 30-player squad to travel to the WXV 1 competition. [5]
Two former Eagles have been inducted into the World Rugby Hall of Fame: Patty Jervey and Phaidra Knight.
Patty Jervey was inducted in 2014. She was the first player to play in five Women's Rugby World Cups. She won the inaugural tournament in 1991 and appeared in the 1994, 1998, 2002 and 2006 editions. She made her Eagles debut in 1989 and has won 40 caps, and scored 178 points. [6] [7]
Phaidra Knight was inducted in 2017. She has been capped 35 times for the Eagles and has appeared at three Women's Rugby World Cups – 2002, 2006 and 2010. She was named USA Rugby Player of the Decade in 2010. Knight also represented the USA Women's Sevens, from 2006 to 2009. [8] [9]
The following United States players have been recognized at the World Rugby Awards since 2001: [10]
|
This section needs to be updated.(April 2024) |
Name | Years |
---|---|
Kevin O'Brien | 1991 |
Franck Boivert | 1994 |
Martin Gallagher | 2002 |
Kathy Flores | 2002–2011 |
Peter Steinberg | 2011–2017 |
Rob Cain | 2018–2024 |
Sione Fukofuka | 2024–Present |
USA Rugby is the national governing body for the sport of rugby union in the United States. Its role is to achieve and maintain “high levels of quality in all aspects of rugby." USA Rugby is responsible for the promotion and development of the sport in the U.S., and promotion of U.S. international participation.
Tom Billups is an American former rugby union rugby player, who played for the USA Eagles as an international and Blackheath Rugby Club, Harlequin F.C., and Pontypridd RFC as a professional. After retiring as a player in 1999, he joined the staff of the United States national team and was the head coach from 2001 to 2006. In addition to coaching the Eagles, Billups managed the U.S. national sevens team program and coached the 2005 U.S. sevens team. In 2015 Billups was inducted into U.S. Rugby Hall of Fame, and was the first person to be inducted as both a player and coach. In 2018 Billups became the 14th recipient of the Craig Sweeney Award which was first award in 1979 in memory of former United States national team member and captain, Craig Sweeney. The Sweeney Award is presented to a former national team player who has contributed significantly to the game while displaying exemplary character on and off the field.
The Australia women's national rugby union team, also known as the Wallaroos, has competed at all Women's Rugby World Cups since 1998, with their best result finishing in third place in 2010.
The England women's national rugby union team, commonly known as the Red Roses, represents England in women's international rugby union. They compete in the annual Women's Six Nations Championship with France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales. England have won the championship on a total of 20 out of 29 occasions – winning the Grand Slam 18 times and the Triple Crown 24 times – making them the most successful side in the tournament's history, helped by their status as the only fully professional women's team in 2019. They won the Women's Rugby World Cup in 1994 and 2014, and have been runners-up on six other occasions. Their current permanent head coach, as of October 2023, is John Mitchell.
The Canada women's national rugby union team represents Canada in international rugby union competitions. They are overseen by Rugby Canada, the governing body of rugby union in Canada.
The Samoa women's national rugby union team is a national sporting side of Samoa, representing the nation at rugby union. The side first played in 2000, and have competed in three Rugby World Cup's since their debut in the 2002 tournament in Spain. In 2023, they claimed their first Oceania Championship.
The Fiji women's national rugby union team are a national sporting side of Fiji, representing them at rugby union. They played their first test against Samoa in 2006, and compete annually in the Oceania Rugby Women's Championship. In 2022, they created history when they scored the third-highest points in both Men's and Women's Rugby at the Oceania Championship when they trounced Papua New Guinea 152–0. They made their first Rugby World Cup appearance at the delayed tournament in New Zealand.
Kathleen Flores was an American rugby union player who was the head coach of the U.S. women's national team until January 2011 and the head coach of the Brown women's rugby team. Past coaching tenures include Bay Area Touring Side (BATS) Rugby Club, the SF FOG men and the Berkeley All Blues. She played rugby from 1978 to 1998 for Florida State University, the Berkeley All Blues Women's Rugby Club and U.S. women's national team. She started coaching for the Berkeley All Blues 1998 and had been head coach and administrator for the U.S. women's national team since 2003. She began coaching the women's rugby team at Brown University in the fall of 2013, following the retirement of Kerri Heffernan. During her time in Rhode Island, she also coached the Providence Women’s Rugby team. She was able to bring them to several division 2 championships.
Jamie Burke is a former American rugby union player and now coach.
The Colombia women's rugby team represents Colombia in women's Rugby union internationally.
Alexander Magleby is the CEO of the professional rugby union team, The New England Free Jacks. He is a former professional rugby union coach, and former United States national team player and captain.
The United States women's national rugby sevens team competes in international rugby sevens competitions. The team finished second at the 2015 USA Women's Sevens, after defeating Russia in the semifinals. They have competed at three Summer Olympics, and won a bronze medal at the 2024 Summer Olympics.
Patricia "Patty" Marie Jervey is an American former rugby union player. She appeared in five Women's World Cups for the United States. She was a member of the Eagles squad to win the inaugural 1991 Women's Rugby World Cup. The 2006 Women's Rugby World Cup was her last appearance for the Eagles. Retiring with 178 points and 38 tries, Jervey is considered one of the ten greatest North American women rugby players.
Phaidra Knight is an American former rugby union footballer who was a member of the United States national team from 1999 to 2017. She participated in the 2002, 2006, and 2010 Women's Rugby World Cup, and won All-World Team honors in the first two World Cups.
Kimber Rozier is an American rugby union player. She made her debut for the United States in 2012 and for the Eagles sevens at the 2011 Dubai Women's Sevens. She was named in the Eagles 2017 Women's Rugby World Cup squad. She previously competed at the 2014 Women's Rugby World Cup in France.
Patty Connell is an American former rugby union player. She played for the United States at the inaugural 1991 Women's Rugby World Cup in Wales. Connell scored a try in the United States 19–6 victory over England in the 1991 Final. She also featured at the 1994 Women's Rugby World Cup.
The 1991 Women's Rugby World Cup Final was a rugby union match to decide the winner of the inaugural 1991 Women's Rugby World Cup. The match was between the United States and England, it took place on 14 April 1991 at Cardiff Arms Park in Wales. The United States were crowned the first-ever Champions after defeating England 19–6.
Krista McFarren is a former American rugby union player and athlete. She was a radiologist in the United States Air Force and rose to the rank of Lt. Colonel before she retired from active duty in 2001.
Samantha "Sammy" Sullivan is an American rugby sevens player. She competed for the United States at the 2024 Summer Olympics, where the team earned a bronze medal.
The 2023 WXV was held in New Zealand, South Africa, and the United Arab Emirates from 13 October to 4 November 2023. Eighteen teams have qualified across three divisions.