Sariah Ibarra: From the pursuit of a black jersey to being the Eagles' future

It is rare that you find players readymade for the HSBC SVNS World Series. But in Sariah Ibarra the USA Women’s Eagles Sevens have one of those players.

Aged only 19 when she made her debut for the Eagles in 15s and sevens, the California native is now taking part in her second SVNS season under the tutelage of Emilie Bydwell.

There is a fairly good reason why Ibarra has always looked so comfortable on a sevens pitch. It is the thing that she has pursued for over half her life.

From the moment that she picked up a rugby ball aged nine at Belmont Shore RFC Ibarra has been obsessed with the game. So much so that in 2020 she first explored the possibility of studying in New Zealand.

People from home – with the exception of her parents – made their thoughts clear; “that’s kind of crazy”.

The global pandemic cooled off her first attempt of leaving her home in Southern California. Three years later she got on a flight to Auckland to enrol at Hamilton Girl’s High School.

There the thoughts were a little different, “what is this American girl doing?” and “American girls play rugby?”.

Soon enough Ibarra showed that she was worth her salt and gained selection to a New Zealand Under-18s Sevens team coached by Kristina Sue.

“That was my angle going out there,” Ibarra said. “Before I left, I said I wanted to wear the black jersey and I wanted to say that I worked hard enough to be selected for the Under-18s.

“Then I worked hard and I did it. It was amazing. It was such a pinch me moment. I was teammates with Braxton Sorensen-McGee and a lot of those girls are now contracted with the (Black Ferns) sevens. They were all teammates.

“They helped shape me into the player I wanted to be. It was super cool to play amongst girls who were likeminded and had the same goals.”

Almost immediately upon her return Ibarra was called into the USA’s Chula Vista training facility.

There she helped a Women’s Eagles Sevens squad in the final throes of their preparation for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris get ready for their bronze medal finish.

During those week she performed so well that Emilie Bydwell took Ibarra aside one day and offered her a full-time contract.

“My plan was that I was going to come home for a little bit, graduate high school in America and then go to college in New Zealand and work to get my citizenship,” Ibarra said.

 

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“But then Emilie Bydwell was like, I have the contract for you, what do you think?

“I went home and it took me two months to figure out my decision. If I left for New Zealand, I’d be away from my family for so long. But if I play for the US, my own country, it gives me an opportunity to help build USA Rugby. I want to make USA Rugby great.

“I want to win a gold medal in 2028. I have two little sisters, and I want to be that example to them that there is rugby in America.”

For most Americans the idea of winning a gold medal on home soil is mouthwatering. But for a 20-year-old born and raised in the shadow of the host city, Los Angeles, that notion gets the heart pumping faster than any stop on the World Series.

We can expect to see Ibarra as the face of women’s rugby in the USA for many years to come. Not only a regular in the sevens setup, Ibarra has six caps in 15s and made two appearances at the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup in England.

So, how long does it take for the notion of an Olympic Games in her backyard to take front and centre in her mind?

“It actually takes a little bit, maybe midday when I go to rugby and we’re playing,” Ibarra said. “Everything I do in training is leading up to three years’ time. The training game is going to matter. The next day is going to matter.

“When I step on the field that image of a circular gold thing comes to mind. Even though it’s three years out, this is where we build. Emilie had done a really good job at instilling that we’ve created a whole new identity for ourselves.

“We’re called the Highwomen and we want to work to be our own Highwomen every day and inspire others through our actions. Knowing that we get the opportunity to do that every day helps us keep that in mind.”

With just over two and a half years until a home Games get underway, Bydwell has started to rotate her squad and adopted a new style of play.

Last weekend in Dubai we got to see the Eagles’ in action as the new SVNS season got underway. There were plenty of positives to be found as the side finished fifth in the desert, including wins against New Zealand, France and Canada.

As first signs go, Ibarra and the Eagles can go into Cape Town with confidence that they can compete for silverware this weekend at DHL Stadium. Drawn in Pool A with Fiji, Great Britain and New Zealand, there is hope that a team that welcomed three debutants a week ago can take another step up.

 

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While her experience does pale in contrast to a Kristi Kirshe or Spiff Sedrick, Ibarra already has plenty of credit in the bank. And wants to soar with the USA this season.

“I just want to continue to be a team player,” Ibarra said. “My goal is to continue to help out the younger girls. I’m not the youngest anymore.

“Now it’s my job to help the younger girls. My goals, when I have set them out, is to be that person someone can lean on and then continue to be that person myself. That way I can continue to tick off my goals.

“My big goal is that I want to make every tour stop (on the HSBC SVNS World Series) and go to the World Championships. In order to do that I have to stay healthy and mentally ready.”