USA Women’s National Team Announces Rugby World Cup Player Pool, 2010 Schedule

from WeWaNTRugby.com:

BOULDER, Colo. – With the Women’s Rugby World Cup (WRWC) less than six months from kickoff, USA Women’s National Team Head Coach Kathy Flores has announced the player pool and reserves currently under consideration for England 2010.

In the final push toward the Women’s Rugby World Cup, the USA team will assemble for two skills camps, two test matches versus Canada at the annual CanAm competition in June, and a three-week July residency program, before finally departing for England on Aug. 8.

“We have selected a pool of players we feel will best contribute to the foundation and continued development of the squad who will represent the USA in the 2010 World Cup,” Coach Flores said.

“In these final months of preparation, it is important to keep all pool players involved in trainings so any transitions can be seamless for the player and the team. Reserve pool players will also be involved in training opportunities, but not competition venues. However, they may have the opportunity to move up into the pool depending on injury or availability of pool players.”

The Women’s Rugby World Cup player pool includes six returning veterans from the USA Women’s National Team that finished fifth at the 2006 World Cup in Edmonton – Claudia Braymer, Jamie Burke, Ashley English, Phaidra Knight, Mari Wallace and Kristin Zdanczewicz. Also named to the WNT pool are Lisa Butts, Farrah Douglas and Kim Magrini, who were named as non-traveling reserves for the 2006 tournament.

In the sixth Women’s Rugby World Cup, the USA women will kick off pool competition versus Kazakhstan on Aug. 20, before facing Ireland on Aug. 24 and rounding out pool play against a dominant England squad on the 28th. Dependent on the results of the pool rounds, teams will be reseeded for the fourth round of play on Sept. 1 and close out the ranking matches on Sept. 5. (Click here to see the full match schedule)

Tickets for the pool rounds at Surrey Sports Park, Guildford, as well as the finals and semifinals at the Twickenham Stoop will go on sale to the general public on Monday, March 22 via Ticketmaster.

USA Rugby Women’s National Team Player Pool
Women’s Rugby World Cup – England 2010

Forwards
Stacy Baker – Keystone
Sharon Blaney – Beantown
Stacey Bridges – Texas A&M
Jamie Burke – Beantown
Lisa Butts – Berkeley All-Blues
Kate Daley – Keystone
Melanie Denham – Beantown
Farrah Douglas – Keystone
Blair Groefsema – Berkeley All-Blues
Phaidra Knight – New York
Jillion Potter – Minnesota Valkyries
Naima Reddick – Berkeley All-Blues
Beckett Royce – ORSU
Lara Vivolo – New York
Kittery Wagner – Beantown
Maurin Wallace – Beantown
Sarah Walsh – Minnesota Valkyries
Kristin Zdanczewicz – Minnesota Valkyries

Backs
Claudia Braymer – Albany
Stephanie Bruce – Berkeley All-Blues
Emilie Bydwell – Beantown
Amy Daniels – Beantown
Ashley English – Berkeley All-Blues
Victoria Folayan – Berkeley All-Blues
Kelly Griffin – Berkeley All-Blues
Katie Hertel – Minnesota Valkyries
Melissa Kanuk – Minnesota Valkyries
Ashley Kmiecik – ORSU
Lynelle Kugler – Twin Cities Amazons
Kim Magrini – Keystone
Nathalie Marchino – Berkeley All-Blues
Vanesha McGee – New York
San Juanita Moreno – ORSU
Christy Ringgenberg – Minnesota Valkyries
Hannah Stolba – Minnesota Valkyries

WNT 2010 WRWC Reserves
Sadie Anderson – Penn State University
Libby Berg – Minnesota Valkyries
Ida Bernstein – Keystone
Liz Dilley – Washington Furies
Christina Hobson – New York
Tayo Mafe – Michigan State University
Desiree Markovich – Minnesota Valkyries
Schmarrah McCarthy – At-large
Deanna McGillivray – University of New Mexico
Jenny Menke – Minnesota Valkyries
Jossy Tseng – Berkeley All-Blues

WNT Staff
Kathy Flores, Head Coach
Candi Orsini, Backs Coach
Alex Williams, Technical Coach
Krista McFarren, Technical Coach
Michelle Carrone, Strength and Conditioning Coach
Dr. Lisa Bartoli, Team Physician
Ginger Stringer, Manager

For a full schedule of all the 2010 Women’s Rugby World Cup, go here. For travel packages to England for the 2010 Women’s Rugby World Cup, go here.