Sale's Perris-Redding given Eagles captaincy for South Africa tour

Sale Sharks forward George Perris-Redding will skipper the USA Women’s Eagles on their first-ever tour of South Africa.

The 29-year-old takes over the captaincy from her club teammate, Erica Jarrell-Searcy, who is unavailable for the tour fixtures against the Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 quarterfinalists.

“It’s an important time to develop multiple leaders in the build up to 2029/2033 RWCs,” Jack Hanratty, USA Women’s Eagles head coach, said. “Although Georgie might be taking over the official captaincy for the first time she has been a leader for the Eagles for many years and I know she will lead from the front.”

Hanratty’s team will play the Eagles across consecutive weekends. The first fixture will take place on Saturday 4 July at Johannesburg’s Ellis Park, and a week later at Pretoria’s Loftus Versfeld. Fixtures form part of doubleheaders as South Africa’s men take on England and Scotland in the Nations Championship.

It is the first time the Eagles have played since their third-place finish at this year’s Pacific Four Series. In Jack Hanratty’s first tournament as head coach, the USA picked up one victory against the Wallaroos and lost matches against New Zealand and Canada.

That win against Australia moved the side up to seventh in the World Rugby rankings. It is the first time that the Eagles have played South Africa since 2024, when the USA won 38-17 in London.

Perris-Redding will be in good company when Kate Zackary links up with the squad after the Premiership Women’s Rugby Final, which takes place on Sunday afternoon at the Twickenham Stoop.

Zackary’s Trailfinders Women teammate, Alivia Leatherman, will also join the squad next week, as will lock forward Hallie Taufoou who is involved in Sunday’s AXA Élite 1 Feminine Final for Stade Bordelais.

In total Hanratty has included five uncapped players in his squad. In the forwards, Lauryn Carlton, Elizabeth Cook and Chloe Hill-Huse are on the hunt for Test debuts, while Ashley Cowdrey joins from the sevens programme and Alopa Nau comes off the back of a strong Davenport University campaign.

Hanratty said: “South Africa Women’s Rugby is one of the most talked about teams in World Rugby with their performances in the recent Rugby World Cup and their clear desire to become a top nation.

“To compete in a Test series in South Africa is one of the most challenging place to go and we want to hold ourselves to a high standard and raise our game from our PAC4 experiences.”

USA Women’s Eagles 2026 South Africa tour squad

Forwards

Emerson Allen (Leicester Tigers)
Kapoina Bailey (Denver Onyx)
Lauryn Carlton* (Boston Banshees)
Elizabeth Cook* (Cardiff Met University)
Rachel Ehrecke (Loughborough Lightning)
Tessa Hann (USA 7s)
Chloe Hill-Huse* (Sunnybank Union Club)
Hann Humphreys (USA 7s)
Alivia Leatherman (Trailfinders Women)
Georgie Perris-Redding (Sale Sharks – captain)
Hope Rogers (Exeter Chiefs)
Paige Stathopoulos (Loughborough Lightning)
Freda Tafuna (Lindenwood University)
Hallie Taufoou (Stade Bordelais)
Kathryn Treder (Loughborough Lightning)
Olivia Woods (Sacred Heart University)
Reece Woods (Sacred Heart University)
Kate Zackary (Trailfinders Women)

Backs

Cass Bargell (Denver Onyx / USA 7s)
Kristin Bitter (Leicester Tigers)
Ashley Cowdrey* (USA 7s)
Emily Henrich (Leicester Tigers)
Katana Howard (Sale Sharks)
Alev Kelter (Loughborough Lightning)
Bulou Mataitoga (Loughborough Lightning)
Alopa Nau* (Davenport University)
Olivia Ortiz (Sale Sharks)
Taina Tukuafu (Bay Area Breakers)
Telesi Uhatafe (Southern Nazarene University)
Bella Vogel (Life University)