U.S. Women Open Nations Cup Against South Africa

The Women Eagles continue their busy summer today as they open the Nations Cup against South Africa. Pete Steinberg and his team played three matches against France in June, winning one and dropping two, all in preparation for the Nations Cup and next year's World Cup. Most of the players from the series against France are back as are several players from the 7's team.

The Nations Cup also includes Canada and England. The tournament will be held in Greely, Colorado with admission free for the first three rounds. If you can't make it out to the match it will be streamed live on USARugbyTV. Canada plays England at 6:00 p.m. et/3:00 p.m. pt followed by the U.S. vs. South Africa at 8:00 p.m. et/5:00 p.m. pt.

Take the jump to see the lineup, keys to the match, and more.
The Team

As we said, most of the team that played against France will return supplemented by members of the 7's team. In the forwards the team looks particularly strong. Jamie Burke brings her years to experience. Her fellow front-rower Kittery Wagner has plenty of experience as well. Hope Rogers is emerging as well. The back-row also looks strong. Shaina Turley proved her quality against France and Jillion Potter has been playing well with the 7's team.

In the backs the U.S. looks to be incredibly fast. Erica Cavanaugh was outstanding in the final match against France. She is still incredibly young but looks to be the wing of the future. She has a great step and a speed of burst that most opponents can't keep up with. Having 7's players Emilie Bydwell, Christy Ringgenberg, and Sadie Anderson, who have all played together for months, should help with cohesion.

Forwards: Hope Rogers, Kittery Wagner, Jamie Burke, Carmen Farmer, Molly Kinsella, Stacey Bridges, Shaina Turley, Jillion Potter

Backs: Kate Daley, Sadie Anderson, Erica Cavanaugh, Sylvia Braaten, Emilie Bydwell, Ashely Kmiecik, Christy Ringgenberg

Reserves: Katy Augustyn, Sarah Chobot, Sarah Wilson, Sarah Walsh, Kristin Zdanczewicz, Jocelyn Tseng, Kimber Rozier, Megan Bonny

History

The U.S. and South Africa have played three times with the U.S. winning twice. The two teams met twice in the 2011 Nations Cup in Canada. South Africa picked up the surprise win 26-23 in pool play but the U.S. got revenge in the final match 29-9. 

Keys to the Match 

Cohesion: The team is at an advantage having already played together this summer. But they are bringing in new players, particularly the 7's players, which could upset that previous balance. It is also the first match of the tournament which is often shaky. It will be important for the team to communicate and work together in order to win.

Focus on South Africa: As the upset in 2011 showed, South Africa is capable of beating anyone despite the fact they aren't favored to beat the United States. The U.S. needs to focus on South Africa in order to get their tournament off to a great start.

Play to their strengths: There are a lot of strengths on the U.S. team, especially in the backs where they have some lightening fast players. They need to play to those strengths and not get sucked into the way South Africa wants to play.

Outlook

Look for the U.S. to win this match and gain momentum for their next match against Canada.