Women’s Eagles Head Coach Pete Steinberg has made a number of changes to his starting lineup for the second match of the 2013 Women’s Nations Cup against Canada.
Following the Eagles’ 35-22 defeat of South Africa Tuesday, Steinberg is keeping his roster fresh by including Jocelyn Tseng, Kimber Rozier, Nathalie Marchino, Sarah Wilson and Lynelle Kugler in the starting 15 for Saturday’s 6:00 P.M. MT kickoff. Canada is the other undefeated team of the tournament after their 29-25 win against England Tuesday.
The 92-hour cycle for the Nations Cup is similar to what the Eagles will experience in France next year at the 2014 Women’s Rugby World Cup.
Read Steinberg’s comments on the competition so far and the upcoming match:
On the roster changes:
We have a lot of depth, in the forwards in particular. We don’t really know what our best starting lineup is, so it’s a bit of recognizing the work load over these next two weeks and also trying to reward some people who have played well. We thought Hope [Rogers] played well in the first game, we thought Carmen Farmer played well in the first game. So they’ve earned their starting spot by their performance and we’re always going to be looking at the players’ performance as one of the key criteria for selection. At the same time, we’re really cognizant of the fact that we have four internationals in less than two weeks. There’s only so much the body can take. But every time you change the team it’s a little different. We’ve never selected the same team in back-to-back games in the two years I’ve been here and I don’t know that it’s going to happen in the Nations Cup. We also want to drive some consistency and make sure combinations are playing together.
We’re really excited to see Nathalie Marchino get her first run-out Saturday. She was a starter in the 2010 Women’s Rugby World Cup and she’s done some really good things in sevens. We’re glad to welcome her back into the fold. Shaina [Turley] is going to be the captain and Christy Ringgenberg is going to be the vice captain. Christy’s provided a lot of good leadership. Anne [Peterson] and Meya [Bizer] are two players who played a lot for the Women’s Junior All-Americans, but they did really well for us in the France series so we don’t want to overwork them. Hope didn’t play as much as Anne and Meya at the U20 Nations Cup because she had a foot injury, so she’s a little fresher.
On Canada:
For a long time, the U.S. had Canada’s number in the nineties. But Canada has done a good job developing their women’s rugby game. They’ve got hundreds of varsity high school rugby programs, so their players pick up the game earlier. I think rugby in Canada is more of a traditional sport than it is down here, but the thing we have is numbers. We’re excited to play Canada - it’s always a good game. I do believe that Canada and the U.S. have to work together, because our goal isn’t to beat Canada; our goal is to beat England and New Zealand. If Canada can help us do that and we can help them then that’s a positive. We should bring up the level of play when we play each other. I think the more we can partner to help develop the women’s game that’ll be good. We know we’re not in their pool at the 2014 Women’s Rugby World Cup because they’re in the same band as us, so we’ll probably play them a few times next year in terms of our World Cup prep.
What we know about Canada is they played a great game against England. They have some dynamic runners and a great offloading game when they play really fast. Their back row’s very strong and like all Canadian teams they’re good at the breakdown and very physical. So we know they bring some strengths to the table. We’re looking for another chance to compete against a top rugby nation to help us develop and prepare for the World Cup.
Watch all of the Nations Cup action from the University of Northern Colorado, beginning with England vs. South Africa at 4:00 P.M. MT Saturday, on USA Rugby TV. Follow live updates during the tournament on Twitter @USARugby and check out the Nations Cup Information Center for full coverage.
Women's Eagles | vs. Canada Women's Eagles | Reserves
1. Hope Rogers
2. Katy Augustyn
3. Jamie Burke
4. Carmen Farmer
5. Sarah Walsh
6. Shaina Turley
7. Lynelle Kugler
8. Jillion Potter
9. Jocelyn Tseng
10. Kimber Rozier
11. Nathalie Marchino
12. Sylvia Braaten
13. Emilie Bydwell
14. Erica Cavanaugh
15. Christy Ringgenberg
16. Sarah Chobot
17. Sarah Wilson
18. Kittery Wagner
19. Stacey Bridges
20. Kristin Zdanczewicz
21. Kate Daley
22. Anne Peterson
23. Meya Bizer
Source : http://www.rugbyrugby.com/news/by_country/u_s/7012868/fresh_roster_set_for_canada_match_up_at_nations_cup