USA

The USA Rugby Women’s National Rugby Team (WNT) arrives in Glendale on Friday, June 19 to begin a week of training prior to the CanAm match on Saturday, June 27. 

Both the Eagles and the developmental USA-A squads will be undergoing intensive two-a-days, video sessions, mental skills conditioning and recovery work as they prepare for their respective matches against our neighbors to the north.

USA-A will kick off against Canada-A at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, June 23 at Infinity Park in Glendale, Colo.  Coached by Martha Daines, the USA-A squad is looking to come out strong against a physical Canadian side.

“We’ve selected a good mix of young talent, players returning to 15s after representing the U.S. in sevens, and experienced players looking to prove themselves to the coaching staff,” commented Daines.  “With only three days to prepare, this match will be a good opportunity for the team to build cohesion and for team leaders to step up and make a positive impact.”

The Eagles, on the other hand, will continue to train through the entire week in the lead up to the Test match. 

“Having a whole week’s assembly to prepare for the match is a rare opportunity for us and we plan to take full advantage of the time together,” commented Head Coach Kathy Flores.  “The players have been working hard this year to improve their strength and conditioning and I think that is going to have a very positive impact on the physicality of this match, as well as allowing us to capitalize on opportunities that we haven’t always been able to take advantage of before.”

The match against Canada, which also kicks off at 6 p.m. on Saturday, June 27, at Infinity Park in Glendale, Colo., is widely anticipated to be a real battle.  Both the USA and Canada have qualified for the 2010 Women’s Rugby World Cup and this CanAm match is a valuable opportunity for both sides to assess their progress as they prepare for that ultimate competition just over a year away.  

“The Eagles are eagerly anticipating the chance to play in front of a home crowd, which will include WNT supporters and women’s rugby enthusiasts from around the country, U19 Women’s LAU teams from the United States and Canada, as well as a group of Eagle Alumni, returning to support the current team and to be honored with a special recognition ceremony at halftime of the match,” said Alex Williams, USA Rugby’s Women’s High Performance Manager. 

Next up after the CanAm is the Nations Cup in Toronto, Canada, from August 6 -23, 2009, where the WNT will compete against England, Canada, France, and South Africa, all of whom are strong contenders to place well in next year’s World Cup.  Please visit http://www.usarugby.org/goto/women_eagles  for more details on that event.

With the CanAm event kicking off its 2010 World Cup campaign, the WNT is pleased to announce the support of two new sponsors in 2009..

The first is a generous grant from the U.S. Women's Rugby Foundation, which will be used to cover needed communication technology for the program, as well as primary sponsorship of the 2009 Eagle Reunion, held in conjunction with the CanAm match on June 27. 

In addition, Pro Photo Rental of Boulder, Colo., will provide specialized photographic equipment to cover the WNT action in both the CanAm in June and the Nations Cup in August. 

If you are interested in sponsoring the Women’ National Team program, please contact Alex Williams at awilliams@usarugby.org.

USA RUGBY, founded in 1975, is the national governing body for rugby and is a member of the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) and the International Rugby Board (IRB). The organization is responsible for the development of boys, girls, high school, collegiate and club rugby programs, as well as the nation’s rugby coaches, referees, administrators and all of its national teams that represent the U.S. in international competitions. As part of this development, USA Rugby hosts a number of courses, clinics, National Championship events and international matches throughout the year. For more information, please visit www.usarugby.org.

The US Women’s Rugby Foundation, founded in 2005, is a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization dedicated to promoting girls and women in the sport of rugby.  The Foundation is committed to fostering and sustaining the growth of rugby by working to assure girls and women have a voice, an agency, and the opportunities to participate.  To learn more about the Foundation go to http://www.uswrf.org

Pro Photo Rental specializes in providing convenient and cost-effective rentals on all top quality photography equipment, including a huge selection of Canon, Nikon and Olympus lenses, camera bodies and accessories.  For more information, please visit http://www.prophotorental.com

Please join the WNT in supporting the Avon/Love Army of Women, an organization that is seeking to recruit one million women nationwide to help researchers learn what causes breast cancer and move beyond a cure to prevention.  Women across the U.S. are encouraged to be “one in a million” by learning more and signing up at www.armyofwomen.org.