USA Eagles Preparing for World Cup

With the Women’s Rugby World Cup looming, the USA team has gathered in California for one more run-through before the big event.

“This is our last chance to fine tune things,” said center and vice captain Keenya Warner. “We won’t be together again, except for a backs assembly, until the World Cup, so this is really important. I think any time we have together makes us stronger, and helps us come together as a unit.”

Warner said the forwards have been working extremely hard to face up to the physical demands of the season, while the backs have also started to show their stuff.

While Ellie Karvoski has been getting the lion’s share of the press, it’s a full team effort, said Warner.

“The entire backline has been playing very well together and we feel confident in each other,” Warner said. “Every moment together is important. There’s really not much talk about how we did last time or where we finished. We’re just focusing on what we need to do now.”

Talk also stretches to the USA’s opponents in the World Cup. They play England, Australia, and Ireland in what will be a massive test.

Captain Jen Crouse, who was in Spain in 2002 says this year’s Eagles are a very different group.

“We have a lot of the same players but the dynamic is a lot different,” she said. “We know each other better as players. We’re chipping away at that challenge of learning to play with each other, reading each other better. The sense of unity is a lot better because we’ve had a lot more opportunities to gel and work some kinks out.”

Crouse said those three teams in their pool games are now large in their thoughts.

“England are one of the best in the World and we would never look past Australia,” Crouse said. “There is no luxury of an easy match to begin with. We start right with England which may be our most challenging game. We need to be mentally prepared for that and to do that we can’t take anything for granted. You’ve got to have a commitment to be physically and mentally present to get through not one tough game but four or five or six.”

Crouse said the excitement and anticipation is building, and there remains a sense among the players that they get to prove themselves against the best.

“We have a strong desire to reach and exceed our potential,” she said.

The excitement extends past the team, however. Warner says that back with her club in New York a group of 50 will be making the trip to Edmonton for the tournament.

“There’s just a lot of support out there, and that’s going to be great to have those people in the stands cheering for us,” she said. “Although, I think we need a special cheer, not just USA! USA!”