Canada make it 12 straight against USA

USA Women 12-50 Canada Women

BRIDGEVIEW, IL—It started encouragingly for the USA Lady Eagles against Canada, but then Canada ran fifty unanswered points and went out 50-12 winners in both teams’ finale in the Pacific Four Series. Canada will most likely finish second barring a New Zealand loss to Australia of 16 points or more and without a bonus point. The USA will likely finish third unless Australia defeat New Zealand and earn a bonus point in doing so.

Things got off to an encouraging start for the USA as they had an early drive deep into Canadian territory and would score the opening try after Hope Rogers managed to get down in the try zone. However, Canada would respond and then show why they were runners-up at last year’s Women’s World Cup.

They would roll off eight successive tries—including six in a 16-minute span—through seven different players. Canada were particularly dominant in the scrum as they continually forced turnovers and infringements from the USA. In fact, it got to the point where the USA would see Rogers sin binned for too many infringements in the scrum and Canada would score a try almost immediately from the player advantage.

Clare Gallagher would be the game’s sole multi-try scorer with two and would go 5-for-8 on conversions. Sophie de Goede, Justine Pellelier, DeLeaka Menin, Aurora Bowie, Asia Hogan-Rochester, and Emily Tuttosi would all get tries for Canada.

Despite the defeat, the USA was feeling the joy of playing together given the lack of opportunities to do so on a regular basis as well as taking on high level competition on home soil.

“Well, I think they go hand in hand,” said USA captain Erica Jarrell-Searcy. “This program has been yearning to express themselves on the pitch for a long time now, and I think that’s something that’s really showing through. [Head coach Jack Hanratty] has really brought in a very special culture that it’s hard to walk away from, hard to go home now. So yeah, it’s just, it’s just something that Jack has done very intentionally and that we were ready for and that we’ve stepped into. So hopefully that shows on and off the pitch. So Sacramento, Kansas City, and now Chicago.

“I think it’s it’s really special moment to come back to the U.S. and see the game growing, and every time we play here, there’s more and more people in the crowds, more and more people who, tell us after the game that this is their first ever rugby match, they started playing rugby because of us.”

Coach Hanratty said he enjoyed every second of the Pacific Four Series even though it ended 1-2-0 for the Eagles.

For Canada, it’s a new World Cup cycle and newer players are coming in. The task for coach Kevin Rouet was to get the proper preparation build the team for what’s to come.

“Sometimes, I learn to be patient as a coach,” said Rouet. “We have new players coming in, reservation, preparation. I think it’s important to recognize that we need time to just build this team back like the way she was at work and even bring it for a while. So, I think it’s good for us to have win this last game like with a big margin to just feel the confidence and build those new players in this cycle.

“It’s a new cycle, so I need to just be patient sometimes. So a high scoring game today, but the trials were coming from a lot of different varieties.”

Next up for the USA Women is a tour of South Africa in July to take on the Springboks on July 3rd at Ellis Park in Johannesburg and July 10th at Loftus Versfeld.

Next up for Canada are a pair of matches in September at England in Exeter (September 19th) and France (September 26/27) as part of the WXV Global Series.

Photos by Leslie Smith

TRIES:
USA: Rogers 8, Henrich 72
CAN: De Goede 19, Pellelier 34, Menin 40, Bowie 51, Gallagher (57, 67) Hogan-Rochester 60, Tuttosi 64

CONVERSIONS:
USA: Vogel 9
CAN: Gallagher (20, 41, 57, 64, 68)

YELLOW CARDS:
USA: Rogers 39
CAN:

USA: #1-Hope Rogers, #2-Kathryn Treder, #3-Alivia Leatherman, #4-Hallie Taufooou, #5-Erica Jarrell-Searcy, #6-Hann Humphreys, #7- Georgie Perris-Reading, #8-Freda Tafuna, #9-Abigail Paton, #10-Bella Vogel, #11-Erica Coulibally, #12-Katana Howard, #13-Emily Henrich, #14-Bulou Mataitoga, #15-Alev Kelter

Replacements: #16-Paige Staphopoulos, #17-Reece Woods, #18-Olivia Woods, #19-Kapoina Bailey, #20-Tessa Hann, #21-Cass Bargell, #22-Kristin Bitter, #23-Telesi Uhatafe

CANADA: #1-Brittany Kassil, #2-Emily Tuttosi, #3-DaLeaka Menin, #4-Julia Omokhuale, #5-Laetitia Royer, #6-Pamphinette Buisa, #7-Gabrielle Senft, #8-Sophie de Goede, #9-Justine Pelletier, #10-Taylor Perry, #11-Aurora Bowie, #12-Alexandra Tessier, #13-Shoshanah Seumanutafa, #14-Asia Hogan-Rochester, #15-Claire Gallagher

Replacements: #16-Samisoni Taukei’aho, #17-Tamaiti Williams, #18-Pasilio Tosi, #19-Josh Lord, #20-Wallace Sititi, #21-Cortez Ratima, #22-Leicester Fainga’anuku, #23-Damian McKenzie

Referee: Amber MacLachlan (AUS)
Assistant 1: Amelia Luciano (USA)
Assistant 2: Emma Gallagher (CAN)
TMO: Quinton Immelman (RSA)
FPRO: Derek Summers (USA)
Woman of the Match: Clare Gallagher (CAN)