The USA Women’s Eagles Sevens will conclude the HSBC Women’s Sevens Series in Biarritz on June 15-16. The matches may be viewed on facebook.com/worldrugby7s.
Once the team steps on the pitch for their first match, they will earn the single World Series point needed to confirm qualification to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
Head Coach Chris Brown has selected 13 players for Biarritz, including some who didn’t appear in Langford. Cheta Emba and Kasey McCravey replace Jordan Matyas and Meya Bizer, who is recovering from injuries sustained in Langford.
At Langford, Kristi Kirshe earned a Dream Team nomination as she scored tries, forced turnovers and created space for others to score. Illona Maher and Abby Gustaitis were outstanding in defense.
Naya Tapper, Alev Kelter, Kristen Thomas Nicole Heavirland, Nana Fa’avesi, Kayla Cannet and Lauren Doyle complete the squad with Stephanie Rovetti as an injury replacement.
The USA Women will face 11th ranked China, 10th ranked Fiji, and 5th place France in Pool C. The USA are ranked 2nd, two points ahead of Canada and twelve points behind New Zealand. A strong performance in Biarritz could allow the United States to cement its position at second in the world, marking the highest ever finish for the program in history.
The Eagles Sevens are also the only team on the World Series circuit to have made the semifinals at every tournament this season, medaling with Bronze at the last three consecutive stops. The team will be looking to finish on a high note.
BROADCAST: facebook.com/worldrugby7s
LIVE UPDATES: twitter.com/usarugby
MATCH RECAPS: usarugby.org/womens-sevens-news
HEAR IT FROM HEAD COACH CHRIS BROWN
“It’s been a year defined by a lot of personal growth and one could say learning how to win ugly in big matches. I’m adamant the fight we see from the group has developed from our players’ willingness to continually be vulnerable with each other. The level of enjoyment and compassion towards one another has increased significantly.
“The next step for us is to enhance the consistency in how we control matches. When this group is on the same page and they individually take ownership and execute, they’re hard to handle. I’m hopeful that taking comfort in doing the simple things well will enhance the performance we see across the whole weekend in Biarritz.”
USA WOMEN’S SEVENS ROSTER
| PLAYER NAME | POSITION | HSBC TOURNAMENTS TO DATE |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Abby Gustaitis | Prop/Hooker | 7 |
| 2. Naya Tapper | Wing/Prop | 16 |
| 3. Alev Kelter | Center/Prop | 28 |
| 4. Kristen Thomas | Hooker/Center | 21 |
| 5. Cheta Emba | Prop/Wing | 11 |
| 6. Kasey McCravey | Hooker/Flyhalf | 1 |
| 7. Nicole Heavirland (C) | Hooker/Scrumhalf | 18 |
| 8. Nana Fa’avesi | Scrumhalf | 18 |
| 9. Kayla Canett | Scrumhalf/Flyhalf | 6 |
| 10. Lauren Doyle (C) | Flyhalf/Wing | 24 |
| 11. Kristi Kirshe | Center/Wing | 3 |
| 12. Ilona Maher | Center/Prop | 6 |
| 13. Stephanie Rovetti | Flyhalf/Wing | 2 |
USA WOMEN’S SEVENS STAFF
Head Coach | Chris Brown
Head of Physical Performance | Matt Long
Head Performance Analyst | Dave Gardner
Athletic Trainer | Nicole Titmas
Team Manager | Liz Strohecker
HSBC FRANCE WOMEN’S SEVENS SCHEDULE
Pool C | Broadcast LIVE on World Rugby Sevens Facebook
vs China | Sat, June 15 – 7:58 AM ET
vs Fiji | Sat, June 15 – 10:42 AM ET
vs France | Sat, June 15 – 1:48 PM ET
View Pool Draw Here
Visit World Series Stats Center
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