‘We’re ready for a fight’: Inside Wallaroos camp before USA clash

Adiana Talakai didn’t give away any secrets about Australia’s game plan for their clash with the USA at the Women’s Rugby World Cup, but the hooker couldn’t help but smirk at times – appearing quietly confident in the team’s preparation.

This match has been months in the making. When the Wallaroos hosted the Eagles in Canberra during the Pacific Four Series, questions were asked about the upcoming meeting at the World Cup, with many believing this is a quasi-knockout for both sides.

With tournament hosts and favourites England also in Pool A, and also Samoa, it’s long felt fairly unlikely that both Australia and the USA would advance to the quarter-finals. England opened their tournament with a statement 62-point win over the Americans last week in Sunderland.

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Australia have also already made their mark on the sport’s biggest stage, defeating Samoa 73-nil in Salford, which was the biggest World Cup win in Wallaroos history. There’s still a lot riding on this weekend’s result, but the Wallaroos seem confident in the work they’re doing behind the scenes.

“We’re really focused, really zoned into what our job needs to be,” Talakai told reporters.

“The job doesn’t stop after Test match Tuesday. It’s everything that you do off the field that makes us better for on the field.

“The vibe’s pretty purposeful if that explains it.

“I don’t want to say there’s no nerves but there’s a sense of calmness around the camp. Nobody’s going around and waking up with zingy hair.

“We’re pretty confident in how we’ve trained and how we’ve prepared for this World Cup and the games that are to come. We’re not nervous, we’re ready for a fight and so we’re here.”

Australia won the most recent meeting between the sides, beating the USA 27-19 at Canberra’s GIO Stadium on May 17. Charlotte Caslick, Ashley Marsters (double) and Eva Karpani were the try-scorers for the Wallaroos that evening in the capital.

As for the USA, Hope Rogers delivered a hat-trick of tries. Rogers started at loosehead for the Women’s Eagles in their World Cup opener against England, and the front-rower remains a player to watch for the USA in this weekend’s match.

“In every Test match that we come across, there’s only a few positions that really go head-to-head with each other and it’s the front row and I’m pretty sure the back three,” Talakai explained.

“Take that really personally. Especially that one-on-one battles in the scrums… after today’s training, we really take it personally to take care of our own.

“Everybody’s a piece in a puzzle and we’re trying to do our bit to put our best foot forward.

“They’ve done their little bit of analysis but then more of the focus has been on us, obviously taking into account what they’re capable of,” she added.

“We have a really good game plan and maintaining that so just gonna leave it there because I don’t want to give away too much.”