Guest Blog from Sione A Mokofisi: How Can USA Women Rugby Reclaim #1 in World Cup 2010 this Summer?

from International Rugby Suite by Sione A Mokofisi:

They fell off the top of women’s Rugby World Rankings; the U.S. Women Eagles national team can regain their former glory by kicking butts again.

How will the U.S. Women Eagles Rugby National Team reclaim their former world superiority in this summer’s World Cup 2010 being held in England?

The USA Rugby national office (Boulder, CO) should have better strategies to reverse the Women Eagles last two dismal showings in 2002 and 2006. Their so-called “high-performance goals” for the England campaign this summer are not convincing enough:

• Placed in the top four at the 2010 WRC.
• Placed as finalists at the 2014 WRC.

They should be expected to win the next two World Cups. Self-fulfilling prophecies are usually the best motivation tools with high-calibre championship teams like the U.S. Women Eagles. When expectations are raised to higher levels of expected performance, great teams have achieved great feats. If they go in expected to do mediocre performance, they will be awed by their opponents as the superior competitor.

U.S. Women Eagles’ History of World Dominance
Their superior performance in the inaugural Rugby World Cup 1991 looked as if the Americans were teaching the rest of the world a sport “Made in USA.” They went 4-0, and nearly shutting out all their opponents, 79-6, combined (Rugby Magazine, 2004) except England:

USA-7, defeated Netherlands-0.
USA-46, defeated USSR-0.
USA-7, defeated New Zealand-0.
USA-19, defeated England-6.
These Yankees continued their international prowess on the rugby “pitch” to include WC 1994 and 1998’s title matches. But the two title-game heart-broken losses may have had demoralizing effects on the entire American women’s rugby program. The evidence showed in WC 1998. It began a 12-year decline manifested in the 7th and 5th place finishes in the 2002 and 2006 World Cups, respectively (Rugby World Cup Womens database, 2010):

1994 – England – 38, defeated USA – 23.
1998 – New Zealand – 46, defeated USA – 12.
2002 – (7th place) USA-23, defeated Spain-0.
2006 – (5th place) USA-24, defeated Scotland-0.

U.S. Women’s Rugby Declining Years
It was apparent other nations’ women’s programs improved each year while the U.S. was declining. New Zealand, for example. Losses in 1991 and 1994 made them stronger. Meanwhile, the Americans’ game may have grown stagnant, and predictable. It took heavyweights like England four years, and New Zealand eight years to figure out how to defeat the Yankees. Other rugby heavyweights like Australia, France, and South Africa in the men’s game have joined the ranks of bullies who are beating up on the Americans in the women’s game.

Perhaps those weak opponents in the early years contributed to the Americans’ losing their dominant strengths. For example in 1994: Beating Sweden, 111-0; Japan, 121-0; Ireland, 76-0; and Wales 56-15. Those cake-walks may have caused complacency and lack of respect for their opponents. England avenged their 1991 loss by winning, 38-23, in the 1994 championship match.

Conclusion: USA Rugby Takes Women’s Program for Granted

The USA Rugby Boulder office rationalized that the decline was due to, “…other rugby powerhouses that have made a commitment to support the women’s game.”

Is this verification that the U.S. Women Eagles were totally neglected? Did USA Rugby fail to increase funding and training to keep the ladies at their 1991, 1994, and 1998 successes level? Perhaps USA Rugby took the women’s program early successes for granted while concentrating most of its efforts on the men’s program?

Apparently, USA Rugby gambled and lost: The Men Eagles are still a Tier 3 international side while the Women Eagles’ – despite their disappointing showing in 2002 and 2006 – are still a Tier #1 squad feared by their opponents. To succeed in this summer World Cup 2010, the Americans must rediscover their early mojos from the early 1990s.

They must be prepared to pull themselves out of their 12-year hibernation, and play like angry, and hungry bears. They must play like angry champions who have been cooped up in training camp for too long, and kick some butts!

Women’s Rugby World Cup 2010: August 16 – September 6.
Hosted by Surrey Sports Park, Surrey University, England.

USA Women Eagles Pool Matches:
August 20, USA vs. Kazakhstan
August 24, USA vs. Ireland
August 28, USA vs. England.

REFERENCES
Ed F. Hagerty, “2004 Directory-Yearbook,” (April, 2004). Rugby Magazine, Vol. 30. No. 3. New York City, NY: The Rugby Press.

Rugby World Cup Womens database retrieved July 12, 2010. http://www.rwcwomens.com/history/index.html.

USA Rugby, “National Teams.” Retrieved July 11, 2010, from USA Rugby database http://www.usarugby.org.