Plucky Again but Eagle Women Fall to Australia
Plucky Again but Eagle Women Fall to Australia
The USA Women's Eagles were pipped 27-19 by Australia's Wallaroos at GIO Stadium in Canberra Saturday, moving the USA to 0-2 in Pacific Four Series.
Despite a huge game by prop Hope Rogers, who scored three tries, the Eagles couldn't pull out a victory.
"We will take a lot out of today, both in our performance and on what we can do better," said USA Head Coach Siona Fukofuka. "We planned pretty heavily for this game and unfortunately, didn't execute where the moments counted. We weren't able to convert possession into opportunities to score, so that's now our work on.
"We're 100 days away (from the Rugby World Cup) and still have a few more test matches to come, so we will focus on playing to our strengths. Our forwards pack is quite physical, dynamic, and has a huge variety of skill, which allows them to play to Hope, to play to Rachel, to play to Kate, which is positive. We were hoping to turn that set piece battle into more of an arm wrestle, which started pretty positive, but we just weren't able to finish the job.”
It was a heated contest from the opening whistle with the Eagles taking control of proceedings early and Hope Rogers setting the tone scoring the first try of the night. The Wallaroos, however, shifted the momentum, and crossed for two tries lighting the pressure under the USA.
A break from Hallie Taufoou injected pace into the Eagles' attack, putting them into open space. From the ensuing ruck, Hope Rogers picked the ball and stretched over the line for her second try of the night. McKenzie Hawkins added the conversion, bringing the Eagles back within five points.
As halftime approached, Australia secured a scrum in front of the posts, threatening to extend their lead. However, a pop pass to Tess Feury provided the Eagles with crucial forward momentum, forcing the Wallaroos onto the back foot. The halftime whistle blew with the USA trailing by a narrow 17-12 margin.
The second half commenced with an early penalty against the USA, allowing Australia to kick for an attacking lineout close to the Eagles' try line. Resolute defense from the American pack initially held the Wallaroos, but the sustained pressure eventually folded, and the home side managed to breach the USA line to score.
The Eagles looked to respond and a powerful carry from Bulou Mataitoga offloaded to Kate Zackary, who then found Alev Kelter. Kelter's strong run gained valuable yards, resetting the attacking platform for the USA. An Eagles lineout inside the Australian 22 landed with a driving maul, creating momentum for Hope Rogers to power over for her third try, completing her hat-trick.
Australia responded with a driving maul of their own, but the USA defense stood firm, winning the subsequent Australian lineout and moving the ball back into Australian territory. However, a high penalty count against the USA proved costly, as the Wallaroos opted to kick for points from 40 meters out, extending their lead by 8. Despite their best efforts in the remaining minutes, the Eagles were unable to close the gap.
Captain Kate Zackary commented on Hope’s performance;
“Hope's limitless, she's a fantastic player, a magician with the ball in hand. She works just as hard in set piece as in defense. Those are areas that were more of a weakness for her years ago, but what you're seeing now, is a whole new player. She rumbles harder than anyone on the pitch, and she leads by example. There's a reason she's the most capped Eagle and I aspire to battle like her. She inspires her teammates and hopefully the next generation as well.”
The USA Eagles will now travel to New Zealand where they will begin preparations to take on the Black Ferns next Saturday in Auckland.
In the other Pacific Four match this weekend, Canada and New Zealand tied 27-27. The Canadians led with time almost up when the Silver Ferns scored to lock it up.
“What I said to the girls at the end of the game was that a couple of years ago we would have been happy with a tie game but now we are leaving disappointed,” said Canada Head Coach Kevin Rouet. “I think we need to reflect on that and we can still say that it was a good performance but with a lot to work on. I saw the players faces at the end of the game, they were mad but at the end of the day it’s a tie game against New Zealand in New Zealand, so still a positive result.”
| Pacific Four Standings | W | L | T | PF | PA | PD | BT | BL | Pts |
| New Zealand | 1 | 0 | 1 | 65 | 39 | 26 | 2 | 0 | 8 |
| Canada | 1 | 0 | 1 | 53 | 41 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 8 |
| Australia | 1 | 1 | 0 | 39 | 57 | -18 | 1 | 0 | 5 |
| USA | 0 | 2 | 0 | 33 | 53 | -20 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
