Women's Eagles squad expected to start delivering 'consistently' at World Championship

USA Women’s Eagles Sevens head coach Emilie Bydwell has confirmed the squad that will compete at the first HSBC SVNS World Championship in Hong Kong.

Kristi Kirshe continues to captain the team, in which Karina Gauto* is due to make her debut. Lilly Thomas** has been named as travelling reserve.

There is also a return for Alex “Spiff” Sedrick, who returns to the squad in place of Su Adegoke, who is unavailable.

The Eagles come into this contest fresh from back-to-back third-place finishes in Vancouver and New York on the HSBC SVNS Series. That strong finish meant that the USA finished third overall in the eight-team competition.

Bydwell’s team have been named in Pool C with France, Argentina and Spain for the first World Championship stage in Hong Kong.

Emilie Bydwell, USA Women’s Eagles Sevens head coach, said: “We are really proud of how effectively we switched gears heading into the two North American legs, which led to two podium finishes. The team responded really well to the change in tone, understanding that we needed to increase our accountability to the core behaviours that allow us to play the style of rugby we aspire to play and to live out our collective intentions on both sides of the ball.

“But, as belief in our group and playing philosophy continues to grow, we are also not satisfied. We know we are still very early in this journey, and there is so much potential in what is to come. So while we can be proud of our recent performances, our focus is on looking ahead to Hong Kong, attacking it one game at a time, and staying committed to getting five per cent better in our key areas of focus.

“Starting the Series, we had a clear vision for how we wanted to play and how to maximise the strengths of our group. What’s been really exciting is seeing that vision come to life on the field, and how we’ve continued to build on that foundation. As a team, we’ve grown our understanding of the game we want to play and expanded our toolbox, which allows us to be more effective and adaptable under pressure.

“We’ve also seen how committing to expressing our physicality, alongside our principles of play in both attack and defence, is what truly brings our identity to life. Our focus now is on consistently delivering that from game to game as we head into Hong Kong.”

Cass Bargell, Erica Coulibaly and Hann Humphreys remain on Pacific Four Series duty with Jack Hanratty’s USA Women’s Eagles. They will be joined by fellow USA Women’s Eagles Sevens athlete Tessa Hann ahead of a clash with the Wallaroos this weekend in Kansas City, Missouri.

USA Women’s Eagles Sevens squad for Hong Kong

Ariana Ramsey
Tahna Wilfley
Lilly Thomas**
Alex Sedrick
Karina Gauto*
Kristi Kirshe (C)
Sarah Levy
Rachel Strasdas
Kaylen Thomas
Sammy Sullivan
Ashley Cowdrey
Sariah Ibarra
Nalu Liufau
Autumn Czaplicki