GRR: Eagle Women
The USA Women’s 7s team ended up 4th in the Seville 7s, ending the weekend with two tough losses.
It was perhaps a day too far for a team that was without one key player; they looked tired in the 3rd-4th clash with England and that, along with one or two really questionable refereeing decisions, spelled defeat in the end.
It wasn't pretty but they got the victory.
The USA women defeated Canada to top Pool A in Seville, beating their crossborder rivals 14-7.
It was a slow, tackle-heavy game as the USA players looked a little sluggish and Canada did, too. Neither wanted to give an inch and the game didn't see a lot of open field play.
The USA women are 2-0 in Seville, putting themselves in an excellent position to finish high in the tournament once again.
The Eagles took apart Portugal, which is a guest team in this tournament and is experiencing the World Series level of play for the first time, and then held off a tenacious England side with a strong second half.
Champions from last week, the USA Women's 7s team will go into this week's tournament in Seville without their all-world player Ilona Maher.
Out due to COVID protocols, Maher will be tough to replace, as he unique combination of power, speed, size, and work rate helped drive the Eagles to the title in Málaga.
Sui A'Au comes in to replace her.
The USA women’s 7s team won the Malaga 7s and in doing so showed how team play beats relying on individuals every time.
While it’s fair to say that Ilona Maher was one of the stars of the tournament and deserved to be Player of the Final, she got that nod because of how she worked with her teammates. Everyone contributed.