USA Rugby has announced that it will be removing the USA Women's 7s team from the Madrid 7s.

The Eagles went 3-0 on Day One of the 2nd tournament in Spain, and were looking quite good. However, with reports of players from other teams testing positive for COVID (France pulled out just before the tournament started) prompted USA Rugby to make the decision to isolate and not play any more games.

USA Madrid 7s Wrap Day One

All USA players and staff returned negative results before today’s matches began. Prior to travel, the full squad will be tested again and undergo any additional isolation or wellness protocols recommended by team medical personnel in accordance with CDC guidelines. 

“It was terrific to see the players out on the field again after such a long break in international rugby," said USA Women's High Performance Director Emilie Bydwell. "We want to thank the Spain Rugby Union for organizing this event so that all teams could have meaningful competition after a challenging year. Ultimately, it is our responsibility to put players and staff first and ensure they can continue their Olympic preparation upon return to the US early next week. We have certainly learned a lot from this event that will help guide our planning and preparation for future competitions.” 

#Madrid7s | Estados Unidosretira a su equipo femenino para lo que resta del II Madrid Rugby 7s.

"@USARugby ha decidido aumentar las precauciones ante el aislamiento preventivo y controlado de un número reducido de jugadoras de otros equipos"

Safe trip home, Eagles! pic.twitter.com/2DPgotsUfA

— España Rugby (@ferugby) February 27, 2021

UPDATE: The Spanish Federation has issued a statement saying that this morning's positive COVID tests were, in fact, falso positives. The FER did not ask the USA team to rejoin the tournament but instead said in supportive language that the withdrawal was a precaution.