Women’s Falcons & Hokkaido Governor’s Cup

The Women’s Falcons Sevens team completed the developmental Hokkaido Governor’s Cup tournament in 7th place.

As part of the USA Rugby pathway for coaches, the team was led by Falcons and Chicago Lions Head Coach Dave Clancy. The Falcons faced teams from Diana (Hokkaido Barbarians), Cook Islands, New Zealand, rival-Canada and Japan through the weekend. The team defeated the Cook Islands twice and was competitive against both Japan and New Zealand.

While the team’s performance was not the desired result, the Hokkaido Governor’s cup provided high-performance opportunities for the developmental U.S. team ahead of the HSBC World Rugby Women’s Sevens Series 2019.

Head Coach Dave Clancy said: “I’m really pleased with the number of quality minutes we got the squad against high-level competition, providing a challenging environment for development.

“Top try scorers Neariah Persinger and rookie Kristi Kirsh were outstanding finishers, Kasey McCravey lead from the front as captain while veteran Megan Foster was a constant threat. The squad has shown a clear pathway for top club players who performed in domestic competition to push for future Eagle squads.”

After the conclusion of the tournament, the Falcons returned to their senior club and residency programs. The players will be evaluated by national team coaches and staff ahead of selections for the HSBC USA Women’s Sevens Glendale.

Hokkaido Governor’s Cup Published Squads (Scrumqueens)

Canada: 1. Olivia Apps, Lindsay RFC (Lindsay, ON); 2. Pam Buisa, Ottawa Irish (Gatineau, QC); 3. Emma Chown, Aurora Barbarians (Barrie, ON); 4. Olivia De Couvreur, Ottawa Irish (Ottawa, ON); 5. Madison Grant, Cornwall Claymores (Cornwall, ON); 6. Julia Greenshields, Sarnia Saints (Sarnia, ON); 7. Nakisa Levale, Abbotsford Rugby Club (Abbotsford, BC); 8. Tausani Levale, Abbotsford Rugby Club (Abbotsford, BC); 9. Kaili Lukan, Unattached (Barrie, ON); 10. Breanne Nicholas, London St. Georges RFC (Blenheim, ON); 11. Temitope Ogunjimi, Calgary Hornets (Calgary, AB); 12. Sabrina Poulin, TMRRFC (St-Georges de Beauce, QC);

Ireland: Niamh Byrne (Railway Union/Leinster); Claire Boles (Railway Union/Leinster); Megan Burns (Tullamore/Leinster); Stacey Flood (Railway Union/Leinster); Katie Heffernan (Railway Union/Mullingar (dual status)/Leinster); Katie Fitzhenry (Blackrock/Leinster); Brittany Hogan (Cooke/Ulster); Anna McGann (UCD/Leinster); Lucy Mulhall (Rathdrum) (capt); Amee-Leigh Murphy Crowe (Railway Union/Munster); Deirbhile Nic a Bhaird (UL Bohemians/Munster); Molly Scuffil-McCabe (Westmanstown/Leinster)

United States: Amanda Berta; Ashlee Byrge; Megan Foster; Allison Gallagher; Nikki Kenyon; Kristi Kirshe; Kasey McCravey; Dani Mcdonald; Jade McGrath; Neariah Persinger; Shamira Robles; Paige Stathopoulos

Hokkaido Governor’s Cup Results

Pool A: New Zealand 27-0 Cook Islands; United States 12-22 Diana (Hokkaido Barbarians); New Zealand 19-17 Diana (Hokkaido Barbarians); the United States 14-12 Cook Islands; Diana (Hokkaido Barbarians) 26-5 Cook Islands; New Zealand 17-7 the United States
Pool B: Australia 45-5 Japan; Canada 27-19 Ireland; Australia 24-7 Ireland; Canada 35-19 Japan; Australia 32-5 Canada; Japan 24-12 Ireland
Quarter-Finals: New Zealand beat Japan; Ireland beat Diana (Hokkaido Barbarians); Canada 29-12 United States; Australia beat the Cook Islands
Plate Semi-Finals: Japan 17-12 United States; Diana (Hokkaido Barbarians) beat the United States
Semi-Finals: Canada 12-21 New Zealand; Semi-Final Australia beat Ireland
7^th Place: United States 22-7 Cook Islands
5^th Place: Japan beat Diana (Hokkaido Barbarians)
3^rd Place: Match Canada 7-10 Ireland
Final: New Zealand 5-33 Australia