Magnificent Seven named in USA squad

By Mark Stevens
21/9/22

Seven Exeter Chiefs Women will form part of the USA’s 32-strong squad for the upcoming Rugby World Cup in New Zealand.

Kate Zackary, who will be featuring in her second World Cup, will lead her country into battle, alongside club-mates Gabby Cantona, Jennine Detiveaux, Megan Foster, Charli Jacoby, Rachel Johnson and Hope Rogers.

The ‘Magnificent Seven’ have been in impressive form for both club and country in the past 12 months and their inclusion is just reward for their efforts

Head coach Rob Cain said: “I believe we have selected the right group, to go on and achieve the things that we are aspiring to do. After a big development period learning what the game looked like and where we needed to be, we then spent the last 12 months looking at combinations, refining our playing identity and helping [the players] to understand what their points of difference are and how that comes out within the team. From now it’s really about having absolute clarity in your role, how your ownership and responsibility can come to the front.”

Of the 32 named, nine will return with previous Rugby World Cup experience from 2017, whereas Exeter’s Hope Rogers will travel to Auckland for her third straight tournament after first competing in the 2014 Rugby World Cup. Rogers has shown no sign of slowing down as the prop comes off a lengthy club season with Chiefs and has been the leading try-scorer for the USA in the last few test matches.

Rogers noted on her third selection saying, "Competing in my third World Cup just has me feeling an immense feeling of gratitude. Being able to play in the 2014 World Cup at 20 years-old because there were people back then who believed in me, I just feel a lot of gratitude towards what I was taught by those people. It is about leaving the jersey better than you found it, so being able to pass it on to some of our young bucks [in their] first World Cup is just really exciting."

Cain added, “We’ve got a really exciting group, and the pleasing thing is to really see some of the less experienced players drive what we’re doing alongside the experienced players. It’s been great to see players get more caps these last 12 months, adding eight or nine games to allow for combinations to be created and take advantage of our opportunity windows. Now we have an opportunity to cement it.”

Captain Kate Zackary has been in the leading role with this squad since 2018 and will venture into her second Rugby World Cup this year, following in the footsteps of Tiffany Fa’ae’e who last served as skipper during the 2017 edition. Zackary brings 23 overall caps, with 16 in the Captaincy role to New Zealand.

Though not an unfamiliar accountability, Zackary said, “Heading into a Rugby World Cup as captain of the USA team is not something I ever expected to say, years ago I didn’t even know what rugby was, so having this opportunity is a huge honour and privilege. I look forward to representing my country, my family and play alongside some of the best players I’ve ever had the privilege of playing with. I hope we make everyone proud.”

USA SQUAD FOR RUGBY WORLD CUP

Alev Kelter (Saracens)
Bridget Kahele (Beantown RFC)
Carly Waters (Sale Sharks)
Catie Benson (Sale Sharks)
Charli Jacoby (Exeter Chiefs)
Lotte Clapp (Saracens)
Elizabeth Cairns (Life West Gladiatrix)
Erica Jarrell (Beantown RFC)
Eti Haungatau (Lindenwood University)
Evelyn Ashenbrucker (San Diego Surfers)
Gabby Cantorna (Exeter Chiefs)
Georgie Parris-Redding (Sale Sharks)
Hallie Taufoou (Loughborough Lightning)
Hope Rogers (Exeter Chiefs)
Jennine Detiveaux (Exeter Chiefs)
Jenny Kronish (Harlequins)
Jett Hayward (Life West Gladiatrix)
Joanna Kitlinski (Sale Sharks)
Jordan Matyas (USA Sevens)
Katana Howard (Sale Sharks)
Kate Zackary (Exeter Chiefs, capt)
Kathryn Johnson (Twin Cities Amazon)
Kathryn Trader (Beantown RFC)
Kristine Sommer (Seattle Rugby Club)
Maya Learned (Gloucester-Hartpury)
McKenzie Hawkins (Life West Gladiatrix)
Megan Foster (Exeter Chiefs)
Meya Bizer (Beantown RFC)
Nick James (Sale Sharks)
Olivia Ortiz (Colorado Gray Wolves)
Rachel Johnson (Exeter Chiefs)
Tess Feury (Wasps)