USA Women’s Eagles Captain Kate Zackary insists heads will not drop after a defeat in their opening Rugby World Cup group game against England.
The tournament hosts are ranked world number one for a reason, but as Head Coach Sione Fukofuka noted postmatch, these are the tests the USA want to front up against and build towards competing. The USA’s night was headlined by a breakaway try from Forward Erica Jerrell-Searcy, all in front of a Women’s Rugby World Cup record crowd of 42,723. With the anticipation to play and Rugby World Cup lead up festivities now in the books, the USA look ahead to a penultimate fixture with Australia in York on Aug 30. USA fans can tune in and support live on Paramount +
Head Coach Sione Fukofuka said on the night, “I think we competed well against the number one team in the world, but discipline is something we will need to work on. We need to be accurate in key moments and convert that into points. We need to execute when we get the chance.”
Play began with even possession by both sides, however England would win the scrum battles and start to gain control, leading to two early tries. Jerrell-Searcy score came in the 25′ with two broken tackles and a 50-meter sprint to the posts, keeping the score at 14-7. Flanker Georgie Perris-Redding took a big hit at midfield in the first half and was pulled off for Head Injury Assessment, replaced a few moments later by Freda Tafuna for the first substitution.
The second half was in England control, where Player of the Match Ellie Kildunne and Jess Breach partnered for tries and eventually the 69-7 win on opening night.
Fukofuka concluded, “We’ve spoken a lot about the potential of this team and need to put in a team performance for the full 80 minutes. We’re still in the competition, we can still get the two wins we need to make the knockouts. Hopefully we can play to our potential against Australia and then give ourselves a shot against Samoa.”
USA Women’s Eagles Roster | USA vs England
| Name | Club |
|---|---|
| 1. Hope Rogers | Exeter Chiefs |
| 2. Kathryn Treder | Loughborough Lightning / Bay Area Breakers |
| 3. Keia Mae Sagapolu | Loughborough Lightning |
| 4. Tahlia Brody | Loughborough Lightning |
| 5. Erica Jarrell-Searcy | Sale Sharks |
| 6. Kate Zackary | Ealing Trailfinders |
| 7. Georgie Perris-Redding | Sale Sharks |
| 8. Rachel Johnson | Exeter Chiefs / Denver Onyx |
| 9. Olivia Ortiz | Sale Sharks |
| 10. McKenzie Hawkins | Denver Onyx |
| 11. Bulou Mataitoga | Loughborough Lightning / Bay Area Breakers |
| 12. Alev Kelter | Loughborough Lightning / Bay Area Breakers |
| 13. Ilona Maher | Bristol Bears / USA Sevens |
| 14. Emily Henrich | Leicester Tigers / Boston Banshees |
| 15. Lotte Sharp | Saracens |
| 16. Paige Stathopoulos | Ealing Trailfinders / Boston Banshees |
| 17. Alivia Leatherman | Trailfinders / Twin Cities Gemini |
| 18. Charli Jacoby | Exeter Chiefs / Queensland Reds |
| 19. Rachel Ehrecke | Denver Onyx |
| 20. Freda Tafuna | Lindenwood University |
| 21. Cassidy Bargell | Boston Banshees |
| 22. Kristin Bitter | Denver Onyx |
| 23. Sariah Ibarra | USA Sevens |
USA Coaches & Staff | Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025
Head Coach, Attack + Backs | Sione Fukofuka
Assistant Coach, Defense | Sarah Chobot
Assistant Coach, Forwards | Mel Bosman
Head of Athletic Performance | Charles Dudley
Analyst | Callum Howells
Lead Physiotherapist | Alice Mae
Athletic Trainer | Sam Malette
Team Doctor | Abbie Hamilton
Massage Therapist | Delwyn Griffith
Performance Psychologist | Scott Goldman
Team Manager | Alana Gattinger
General Manager, High Performance | Tamara Sheppard
Media Manager | Jenni Burke
USA Women’s Eagles Match Schedule | Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025
USA v England | 69-7 (L)
August 22 | Sunderland, ENG
USA v Australia
August 30 | 2:30 pm ET | York Community Stadium, York
Paramount+
USA v Samoa
September 6 | 8:30 am ET | York Community Stadium, York
CBS, Paramount+
Quarterfinals Begin September 13