Eagles Put Their Heads Down, Target WRWC Semis

Eagles Put Their Heads Down, Target WRWC Semis

A look at the USA's chances of making the semis of the Women's Rugby World Cup.

Aug 16, 2017 by Alex Goff
Eagles Put Their Heads Down, Target WRWC Semis
Having won their first two Women's World Rugby Cup games,  the USA looks to secure a place in the WRWC semis with a victory over England Thursday.

It won't be easy, as England has looked very solid in the opening two rounds, with a hard-running, physical style that the Eagles have sometimes struggled to catch up to. This 2017 iteration of the USA team, however, might have found its voice - battle in the trenches long enough to set free the cheetahs on the outside. That could be the path to victory.

And victory is pretty much required to make the semis. Here's why:

Canada (2-0), plays New Zealand (2-0). Both have points differences far superior to that of the USA.
England and USA are both 2-0.
France (2-0) plays Ireland (2-0). France is well ahead of the USA in points difference, while Ireland is not.

So let's assume that someone wins each of these crucial three games. Those three will all make the semis. The final spot goes to the best loser of the group. That final spot looked to be decided by points difference, but ...

Canada's startling failure to earn a four-try bonus point against Wales opens the door for the Americans.

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How USA makes semis if the Eagles lose:

France beats Ireland
Canada loses to New Zealand and fails to get one more bonus point than the USA. Currently the Eagles have 10 standings points, and Canada only 9 after a disappointing 15-0 win over Wales. So, say the USA loses to England but scores four tries, meaning the Eagles have 11 standings points. Canada, in losing to New Zealand, would have to score four tries and stay within 7 points to earn two bonus points to catch the USA (and thus win by points difference).

or

Canada's winning margin over New Zealand combined with USA's losing margin to England is greater than 98, which is never going to happen.

How USA makes the semis if Eagles tie England

Canada v New Zealand is not a tie. (A tie basically makes the Ireland v France game irrelevant, because if they do tie as well, Ireland would lose out to the USA on standings points). As long as either Canada or New Zealand lose a game, the USA is in.

or

Canada ties and fails to get one more bonus point that the USA


How the USA makes the semis if Eagles beat England

A win over England secures a semifinal spot.

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USA Head Coach Pete Steinberg told World Rugby said that, despite liking the idea of not playing a lot of games in their buildup, the Eagles were still maybe a bit undercooked. Still, they've done the job. 

"We had seven or eight changes from our last game at the Can-Am and this team that came into the World Cup had never played together so what we have said is we have to grow into the tournament and I think we have done that," said Steinberg. "I think that we did what we needed to against Italy, we improved in the Spain performance and that is what we have to do if we want to compete with England. We have to continue to grow and improve as a team.

"I think we have a really huge amount of potential," continued Steinberg. We have some wonderful athletes that haven't actually played much together and so the more time we get together, the more time we have playing then the better we are going to become as a team. We still think we are on the upswing, we hope to play our best game in the fifth game of the tournament and we hope that is the final."

The Eagles came into this tournament with nine losses in a row, but Steinberg pointed out that those losses were all against the likes of England, Canada, and New Zealand. They were difficult tests, but they may have prepared the American team for this moment.

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"This is a winner takes all game in terms of topping the pool and will require a full 23 squad effort to get the job done. Regardless of whether players have been selected to start or will come on as finishers, everyone has equal weight in the team, fully understands what their role is and what they need to deliver come match day," said England Coach Simon Middleton. "We know playing against USA will be tough, they play a very physical game and have some dangerous players on the ball, but we have prepared well and the squad are in a good place, not only physically but mentally. We have confidence in the entire squad and it's now about going out and making sure we put in a full 80-minute performance."

USA against Spain in the 2017 Women's Rugby World Cup. Ian Muir photo for FloRugby.

USA to Face England 1. Catie Benson 2. Katy Augustyn 3. Tiffany Faaee (C) 4. Stacey Bridges 5. Alycia Washington 6. Sara Parsons 7. Kate Zackary 8. Jordan Gray 9. Deven Owsiany 10. Kimber Rozier 11. Kristen Thomas 12. Alev Kelter 13. Nicole Heavirland 14. Naya Tapper 15. Cheta Emba; 
Reserves 16. Samantha Pankey 17. Hope Rogers 18. Nicole James 19. Abby Gustaitis 20. Kristine Sommer 21. Kayla Canett-Oca 22. Sylvia Braaten 23. Jess Wooden

England to Face USA: 1. Vickii Corborough 2. Amy Cokayne 3. Sarah Bern 4. Abbie Scott 5. Tamara Taylor 6. Alex Mathews 7. Marlie Packer 8. Sarah Hunter 9. Natasha Hunt 10. Katy McLean 11. Kay Wilson 12. Amber Reed 13. Emily Scarratt 14. Amy Wilson Hardy 15. Danielle Waterman
Reserves 16. Vickie Fleetwood 17. Rochelle Clark 18. Justine Lucas 19. Poppy Cleall 20. Harriet Millar-Mills 21. Leanne Riley 22. Rachael Burford 23. Megan Jones

Kickoff 9:30am ET, 6:30am PT Thursday, Aug 17.