USA make decision on Ilona Maher as they name player pool

USA head coach Sione Fukofuka has named his player pool ahead of their spring Test matches - including the Pacific Four Series.

The Eagles are set to host two matches in the coming months - against Japan on 26 April at UCLA’s Wallis Annenberg Stadium, and Canada to kick off their Pacifc Four Series campaign on 2 May in Kansas City at CPKC Stadium.

USA stalwart Kate Zackary is named to take the national team captaincy into a seventh season, ahead of what would be her third XVs Rugby World Cup.

For the first time since her debut at the Pacific Four Series in 2021, Ilona Maher will return to the USA’s XVs team - and is listed as a centre, despite predominantly featuring on the wing during her stint in the PWR for Bristol Bears, and in her prior USA XVs appearances.

Fellow sevens player and Olympic bronze medallist Nicole Heavirland is also in line to return to XVs action having not played internationally since the 2017 Rugby World Cup. They’ll join their Paris 2024 teammate Alev Kelter in the squad, who returned to Test XVs at WXV 1 last September.

An exciting trio of Kapoina Bailey, Erica Coulibaly, and Malia Isaacs will go in search of their first Test caps. Previously capped scrum-half Sophie Pyrz, who plays for English championship side Cheltenham Tigers, and Isaacs have been invited into training camp ahead of the Japan fixture, before the squad will be reduced to 36 players for PAC 4.

Georgie Perris-Redding is named in the squad after nine months out with injury, having undergone her second surgery only 10 weeks ago due to her MCL rejecting its synthetic graft.

The current squad features 24 players who are currently representing Women’s Elite Rugby teams in the inaugural season, with 10 from Denver Onyx, seven from Boston Banshees, four from Bay Area Breakers, two from Twin Cities Gemini, and one from New York Exiles.

A further two players have been selected from Super Rugby Women’s teams (Queensland Reds and ACT Brumbies).

Premiership Women’s Rugby remains highly represented in the USA squad, with 21 players named who played in the top English league last season.

Fukofuka said: "Since WXV 1, we have been tracking our players either in their team environments in the Premiership Women’s Rugby or here in the US preparing with their WER teams. What has stood out most, is the players' hunger to be better and take key learnings from 2024 to challenge themselves on and off the field by playing to perform under pressure.

"We have real competition for positions and a strong core playing group with some x-factor, that we are excited to work with which will allow us to play the style of rugby we feel will be successful and expressive.

"The Pacific Four Series is a performance tournament, where we are lucky to play highly ranked teams in Canada (2), New Zealand (3)  and Australia (5).  We will use this tournament to compete for results and learn to take opportunities in key moments.

"This will provide a strong platform for the Rugby World Cup by allowing us to implement our game model, develop combinations and create an environment where we have the ability to change the game, on and off the field."

Following their PAC 4 opener against Canada, the USA will further face Australia on 16 May in Canberra, Australia and current Rugby World Cup champions New Zealand on 23 May in Auckland, New Zealand.

The Women's Eagles will also face Fiji in a double header on 19 July in Washington DC, with the Men's Eagles playing England on the same day at Audi Field.

They will kick off the Rugby World Cup on 22 August in the tournament's opening match against world number one side England in Sunderland, before going on to play Australia (30 August) and Samoa (6 September) in York.

USA Player Pool, Spring 2025

* potential debut