14 PWR players in USA side to take on Japan

Two debuts are named to their first Eagles roster in Erica Coulibaly and Kapoina Bailey, while Prop Hope Rogers steps out for her 51st test cap, tying Hall of Famer Jamie Burke for the most appearances in Women’s Eagles history.

• Limited tickets are still available for the match at usa.rugby/tickets.

Head Coach Sione Fukofuka said: “The team is excited and confident after two weeks together as an extended squad, in preparation for the Japan test; the first phase of our Rugby World Cup year.

"The players have put in a huge amount of work before camp and arrived physically well prepared to implement our game model and launch into our World Cup year with a positive performance.

"Japan are a very technical team, who work hard, have great speed in their defence and will force you to be accurate in all facets of the game. They are a challenging team to play and the perfect opponent for us to demonstrate our increased physicality, set piece accuracy and technical efficiency in our defense and break down. All elements that will need to be world class for the Rugby World Cup.”

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Japan land on US soil for the first time in a women’s test match, following a two-match series from Kitakyushu in August 2024, where the Eagles claimed one win and a draw in those games. Both teams have been training south of Los Angeles in Chula Vista, including on Sunday to supply some match play preparation before the official fixture this weekend.

Hope Rogers will set another benchmark for the USA Women’s Eagles on Saturday, stepping onto the international pitch for the 51st time and meeting Hall of Famer Jamie Burke at the top of the record books. Targeting her fourth Rugby World Cup this summer, Rogers is named to the starting fifteen as she continues to be one of the most prolific forwards in World Rugby.

Two dynamic Denver Onyx stars in Erica Coulibaly and Kapoina Bailey earn their first match day 23 selections, with Coulibaly starting at wing and Bailey looking to make an impact as reserve. Erica Coulibaly’s speed and agility caught the attention of USA Rugby over two High Performance Pathways camp invites in December and January, while College National Champion Bailey has made her way through the USA Junior National Teams with selections to the Women’s U20s and U23s since 2019.

Full team:

• 15. Bulou Mataitoga - Loughborough Lightning / Bay Area Breakers
• 14. Cheta Emba - Boston Banshees
• 13. Emily Henrich - Leicester Tigers / Boston Banshees
• 12. Alev Kelter - Loughborough Lightning / Bay Area Breakers
• 11. Erica Coulibaly - Denver Onyx
• 10. McKenzie Hawkins (VC) - Denver Onyx
• 9. Olivia Ortiz - Sale Sharks
• 1. Hope Rogers - Exeter Chiefs
• 2. Kathryn Treder - Loughborough Lightning / Bay Area Breakers
• 3. Keia Mae Sagapolu - ACT Brumbies
• 4. Hallie Taufoou - Loughborough Lightning / Denver Onyx
• 5. Erica Jarrell - Sale Sharks
• 6. Tahlia Brody - Leicester Tigers / Denver Onyx
• 7. Kate Zackary (C) - Trailfinders
• 8. Rachel Johnson (VC) - Exeter Chiefs / Denver Onyx

Substitutes: Paige Stathopoulos, Maya Learned, Charli Jacoby, Rachel Ehrecke, Kapoina Bailey, Cass Bargell, Kristin Bitter and Tess Feury.